That One Night
by nancy23
Summary: Ruthie has always been a trustworthy child, but things begin to change. Her life will change dramatically over the next few years, all because of one night.
1. Default Chapter

When he came into my life, I didn't know that it would come to this. Every moment I spend with him is like a little taste of heaven. Yet, at the same time, I reinforce these urges with, "He's like my brother. I'm like his sister. He'll never feel the same way about me...right?   
BUZZ! BUZZ! BUZZ! Ruthie slammed the snooze button on her alarm clock, not wanting to greet the day. Instead, she wanted to greet her eyelids again. However, that didn't last for long.  
"Ruthie! Get up! You're going to be late! You want to see Vincent, don't you?"   
This made her jump out of bed. Vincent, the reason for her living, the breath she took in every day, the...  
"Ruthie! Let's go! If you don't hurry up, I'm makin' you ride the bus with that nose-pickin slob!"  
_God...I love him when he's in a hurry. Wait! What! What is going on with me? I can't believe this. First, the dream last night, and now this? Vincent, Ruthie, Vincent! _  
After slabbing on 25 pounds of makeup, picking out a skirt and shirt, pulling on her knee-high boots, and taking one last look in the mirror, she ran downstairs, tripping in those previously mentioned boots.  
"OW! Holy..."  
"Ruth, I thought I told you those things are dangerous. Lord, they make you a whole foot taller. I swear, one thing I will never understand is how you girls are able to walk in those without breaking your neck."   
"Well, apparently, I can't walk in them. I just tripped," Ruthie joked.  
Martin chuckled to himself. _Man oh man, does she look hot in those. Wait! What am I saying? She's two years younger than me! She's like my sister! It was just an crazy thought. I'm half asleep, that's all. That's all, that has to be all. Zoe's my girlfriend. I love her, don't I? _  
As Martin lifted her up, Ruthie straightened her skirt and ran out the door. She came back in, however, for her lunch. Deep down, she knew she wouldn't eat it anyway, but she had to at least take it with her.  
_This skirt is getting really tight. It's only a size 2! I can't be getter bigger! No! Alright, no lunch. That's it, I'm drawing the line. Thankfully, no one's noticed yet. _  
After making her way to the car, where Martin had it started up and ready, she threw her stuff in the back and got in.  
"Seatbelt," Martin said.  
After hearing that satisfying click, Martin shifted into reverse, carefully watching behind him for the mailbox. Martin was notorious for hitting it. How many times had he hit it? Well, it was easy to tell by all the scratches on the back corner. _I need to buff those. _Martin thought.  
Looking over at Ruthie, he suddenly realized that she didn't look too good. "Hey Ruth?"  
"What? My seatbelt's on. I'm not eating or drinking in the car, and my feet are on the floor of the car. What did I do now?"  
"Nothing," he said with concern, " I was just gonna ask if you are feeling okay. You look a little pale."  
_Crap, he noticed, _  
"Yeah, I'm fine," Ruthie said with a bit of an attitude.  
Martin noticed this, but didn't mention it again. They were at school anyway. He knew that if Ruthie went to homeroom mad, she would not have a good day. Martin knew all too well the consequences of that. He found a parking spot, and shut off the engine.  
Ruthie walked down the hallway, noticing all her friends staring at her. _Why are they looking at me? Do I really look that fat? I can't be, I just can't. _  
After walking into homeroom, Alyssa, one of her best friends, yanked her into the seat beside her.  
"What's up with you?" Alyssa asked with concern. "You aren't ever happy anymore, your infamous grin that Vincent loved is gone. C'mon! Smile once in a while! Your life can't be THAT bad.  
_If you only knew, Alyssa._  
"Look, Alyssa. Things just aren't going really well right now. I'm just not in the mood, and I really haven't been feeling well. Please, just let me figure some things out, and I'll bring my smile out of the closet."  
Alyssa quietly agreed, although she was worried. Ruthie never acted like this. Did she do something? Did Vincent do something?  
"Ya know," Alyssa began, "you haven't been acting right ever since that party."  
Alyssa was quickly hushed by their teacher, Mr. Kovack, walking in the room. The roll was taken, and Ruthie went through her day in almost a trance.  
Finally, the end of the day rolled around. After Alyssa mentioned the party, Ruthie had been even worse. Her stomach didn't feel right. However, she hadn't eaten, she remembered, so that could be it.  
"Ruthie!" Martin yelled, bringing Ruthie out of her thoughts. "Hey, you ready? I gotta get you home. Zoe and I are heading over to the Promenade, so I want time to get my car washed."  
"Yeah, okay," Ruthie answered without any emotion. Martin was really becoming worried about her. He loved Ruthie, and to see her hurt for whatever reason made him want to just hold her, kiss her...  
_Why am I doing this?_ Martin thought. All these feelings were rushing through his head, and he couldn't figure them out.  
"Martin! You're the one that said you wanted to drop me off as soon as you could! I don't have a legal permit yet! I'm not driving home! Let's go!"  
Martin was brought out of his trance, as Ruthie yelled at him. _Why is she so tempermental? Something's wrong with her. _  
Martin started the engine, ready to leave. He noticed that again, she looked pale. He found some peanuts in the glove compartment, and offered them to Ruthie.  
"Hey, are you hungry? I have these in there if you want some."  
Suddenly, Ruthie appeared as though she was going to throw up. Martin quickly pulled over, and as soon as she got out, she spilled her guts on the side of the highway.  
Martin, now seriously concerned, was all over Ruthie with questions. "Are you feeling okay? How long have you been throwing up? Maybe you should stay home tomorrow. I'll just let your mom know. I'm sure she'd let you stay if she knew you were feeling as bad as you apparently do. Wait, why are you hiding it? You're usually the one that fakes sick to get out of school. Why would you fake healthy?"  
"Martin, please, just leave me alone. I'm fine. I'm going to school. I don't like peanuts, you know that." By this time, they were in the driveway.  
"So seeing them makes you throw up? Ruthie, you're not making any sense. Please, just let me know that you're okay. I hate it when you're not feeling well."  
_Aw, that's so sweet. God, he's hot when he's concerned. Wait, stop thinking like this, Ruthie! Stop, stop, stop!_  
"I'm fine really." She entered through the back door, and ran to her room, leaving Martin to deal with her things in the car.  
"I have to be fine. I just have to," Ruthie said with tears in her eyes.  
"Ruthie! Ruthie, please open the door! Something's up, and I know it! Open the door, Ruth!" Martin yelled.  
Ruthie sat in her room, listening to Martin bang on her door, while she sat against it and wept. She herself knew that something may very well be "up," but she wasn't ready to admit it to herself, let alone anyone else.  
After Ruthie had somewhat maintained her composure, she noticed that Martin had stopped knocking. She quietly opened the door, and couldn't see him. Yes, Martin's behind the door for all of you smart people.  
She headed to the restroom, suddenly feeling sick again. Martin watched her run for the door, not bothering to shut it. After she had entered, he walked into her room, quickly searching for any clues.   
He found a note lying on her dresser. Martin wasn't one to snoop, but his curiosity got the better of him. He heard the voices in his head telling him not to do it, but he did anyway. _If it tells me what's wrong with Ruthie, than I have to read it. I think something's really wrong with her._  
After winning the argument with the voices in his head, he began to open the note. However, Ruthie reappeared, and snatched the note from him faster than you can say...you know the drill.  
"Who said you could snoop in here? I'm fine! Really! I don't need you to act like my father, because you're not."  
"Well, I'm like your brother, so I suggest you tell me what's wrong with you. It wasn't the peanuts, was it? Why are you feeling so bad? Why won't you tell me! I wouldn't be this concerned if you just told me."  
_Believe me, Martin, I want to. But I have to see if it's true, first._  
"Look, I'm fine. Please, just leave me alone. I need some time to think."   
Martin, with much reluctance, left her room, shutting the door behind him. Ruthie knew what was wrong. She'd been suspecting it for a while. Ever since the party, she'd heard that women's intuition screaming in her head. The phone rang, making her jump.  
"Ruthie!" Annie yelled, apparently home with the twins. _Oh great, _Ruthie thought. _Now they'll bombard me with questions!_  
"Ruthie! Vincent's on the phone! He wants to talk to you!"  
Ruthie picked up the phone. Right now, Vincent was the only good thing going on in her life.  
"Hello? Vincent?"  
"Ruthie, hey. Look, we need to talk."  
Ruthie felt a sinking feeling in her stomach, and knew what was going to happen. She suddenly couldn't breathe, and felt sick again, only for a different reason.   
"Look, Ruthie, I like you a lot. But lately, I've been hearing some things."  
"What kind of things, Vincent?" Ruthie asked with frustration.  
"Well, about that party that you went to. The one that I couldn't go with you to? Yeah, uh, I heard you hooked up with somebody else. Is that true?"  
Ruthie instantly felt hot tears welling up in her eyes, and running down her cheeks. "Which party? Wait, don't answer that. But I need you to know something. Vincent, I...I'm...I might be..."  
"Oh my god, Ruthie! How could you do this? I trusted you with everything! I mean, I thought I loved you! How the heck can you do this to me? You're going to throw it away on some random guy? Ruthie, it's over. It's over, Ruthie. I can't trust you anymore!"  
"Vincent, no!" Ruthie said with sadness, but was met with a tone at the other end. She hung up, and instantly began bawling. She couldn't catch a breath, and her body racked with huge sobs that she couldn't contain within herself.  
"Vincent," she said to herself, "you were the only thing going well in my life right now. If you only knew..."


	2. Chap 2 Love comes with Mistakes

Ruthie lay in her room, quietly praying and crying herself to sleep. Ruthie never took naps, but the stress of everything now going on in her life was taking its toll.  
After an hour-long nap, Ruthie didn't feel well at all. She changed into something more comfortable, and laid back down in bed, hoping to get some more sleep. However, dreams of Martin kept coming to her head. She saw themselves getting married, having kids, growing old together. Yet she also had nightmares. Nightmares of that night of the party, nightmares of Vincent, and voices in her head that scared her. After a while, she decided to give up, so kept herself awake by trying to read a book.   
"Ruthie!" Annie yelled up the stairs. "Ruthie, honey, dinner's ready. And could you grab the twins for me, please?"   
"Ugh.." Ruthie rolled over in her bed, hiding her face in her pillow. A few minutes later, Annie walked up to find her.   
"Ruthie. I said dinner was ready. I made your favorite! Chicken pot pie!"  
Annie became concerned when mentioning Ruthie's favorite food in the world did not cause her to stir.   
"Ruth, hon. Are you feeling okay?"  
Annie forced her to rollover, and seeing Ruthie's face scared her. Ruthie was extremely pale, her lips almost white, and Annie noticed how much thinner she looked.  
"Ruthie, are you feeling okay? Should I take you to the doctor?"  
This somewhat perked Ruthie up. "No! I don't need to go to the doctor! Please don't take me there! I'm fine, really. I just ate too much at lunch!"  
"She didn't eat anything, today, Mrs. Camden. I saw her. When she walked in the lunchroom, she threw her bag in the trash. Then, she ran to the restroom. She probably vomited in there, because she did that twice after school." Martin had suddenly appeared in the doorway, and his testimony suddenly made Ruthie nervous. She didn't want anyone to know what was wrong, and she was scared herself. She was fine, though, wasn't she?  
"Why do you always appear out of nowhere at the most inoppurtune times? You're like...a...ghost."  
Ruthie suddenly passed out, and Annie shook her violently, trying desperately to wake her up.  
Martin, still standing in the doorway, ran to Ruthie. "Ruthie, babe, wake up! Please, wake up!"  
Annie stopped for a brief moment, noticing the pet name Martin had used for her daughter. Martin, quickly realizing what he'd just done, ran downstairs, looking for Eric.  
Martin, close to tears, found Eric in his study. "Eric! Ruthie just passed out! She hasn't been feeling too well, and she just passed out in her room. Annie's trying to wake her up."   
"I'll call an ambulance." Eric said with no emotion. _What's wrong with Ruthie? Good Lord, please let her be okay. Please heal my baby girl._  
Martin ran upstairs, where Annie was checking for a heartbeat.  
"She's still got a strong heartbeat and pulse! I don't know what's wrong with her!"   
Martin began to speak again. "Well, she's been really stressed about something lately. Maybe it just took its toll on her. I'm sure she's fine, Annie. She has to be."  
"Yeah, she'll be okay. Is Eric calling an ambulance?" Annie question was answered with the sounds of sirens.  
"She'll be fine. She'll be okay." Martin said, trying to comfort Annie, but he was also saying it, trying to reassure himself.  
Martin began to pray under his breath. _Dear Lord, please don't take the love of my life away. I love her with all my heart, and I didn't realize it until just now. Please, don't take my baby away. Please, just keep her here so that I can let her know how I feel. Please awaken her._   
Ruthie was finally awakened in the ambulance on the way to the hospital. After a thorough investigation, the EMTs concluded that she hadn't eaten in days, but that wasn't the only thing wrong.  
"Mr. and Mrs. Camden?"  
Dr. Brook came out, ready to give the news. The entire family was there, including Mary and her family. The Riveras (Is that Carlos' last name?) were in town for a surprise for the family. Yet, they didn't know it would've been this surprise.   
Annie and Eric quickly stood up, along with Martin. "Yes, Doctor? Is my baby girl okay?" Annie asked with a quavering voice.  
"She's going to be just fine. She's extremely malnutritioned. I asked her when she ate last, and apparently, she hasn't eaten in almost a week."  
Annie sank into a chair behind her. _Why hasn't she eaten? What's wrong with her?_   
Eric, now confused, asked, "So, she hasn't eaten in almost a week, and she's been hiding this from us? Why?"  
"Mr. Camden, that's not the only thing wrong with Ruthie. It's not life-threatening. But I imagine that she'll want to be the one to tell you."  
"Can we see her?" Lucy asked.  
"Yes, just be sure to watch for the IVs and tubes running through her. We're trying to get something in her. She has nothing, really, to go on, food-wise."  
Martin rushed ahead of the rest of the family, thinking to himself as he went along. _What could be wrong with her? She has an eating disorder, and yet something else is going on? _  
When the family entered Ruthie's room, they were surprised to see how bad she actually looked. She was extremely thin, yet her stomach had a bit of a bulge to it. She looked like a science experiment, with cords running every which way.  
Ruthie's eyes fluttered open, and she saw her parents standing over her. Knowing what she'd have to say, she began to cry. She loved them, and even though it wasn't her fault, she couldn't help feel a bit guilty, and felt that her parents would be disappointed with her.  
After her parents gave her looks of love and tears of joy, just to see Ruthie's face again, the next person she saw was Martin. She'd never seen him this scared. He whispered in her ear, telling her that he loved her, and no matter what, he'd help her through whatever was going on. Ruthie than began to cry for a different reason. She tried to say, "I love you, too," but she was too exhausted to even think about forming the words. So, using all the strength she had, she formed her hand into I love you (where you stick your pinky and first finger and your thumb out), and after showing Martin this, she formed the number 2 with her hand. Martin knew that she was desperately trying to say, "I love you, too." To show her that he understood, he lightly brushed her cheek with his lips. Then, realizing the rest of the family was witnessing this, he quickly turned around, to see smiles on everyone's faces. Eric brought him over, as Lucy went to see Ruthie, and told Martin, "I couldn't have picked a better man for my daughter than you. Just don't break her heart."   
Martin, happier than ever, quickly responded, "Believe me, if I were to break her heart, it would break mine until I stopped living. I love her with all my heart, Mr. Camden. I really do."   
"I know you do, Martin. I thank God that you came into our lives every day, because you've shown all of us so much. I'm just glad you're finally together."  
"Yeah, me too...wait, did you just say finally?"  
Eric lightly chuckled, and gave Martin a chair. By this time, everyone had given Ruthie a smile, and a half hug, seeing as how it was almost impossible to hug her, what with all the cords.  
Annie came up to her, and lightly kissed her forehead. "We'll come back tomorrow. Maybe by then you'll be a bit stronger, and you can tell us what's bothering you. Okay, honey?"   
Ruthie slightly nodded, knowing that what she'd have to say would kill her parents. Nonetheless, she knew she had to tell them. It wasn't something she'd be able to hide.  
The Camdens left the room, leaving Ruthie by herself with the sounds of beeping monitors, and carts going by outside. So many things were running through her head. How she'd tell her parents, when to tell them, where to start, and yet she knew that it would be one of the hardest things she'd ever have to do.  
Ruthie lay in her room, wondering why this was happening to her. She'd always been a good kid. She'd never done anything to harm someone like she'd been harmed. Why her? _Why me, God? Why me?_  
Back at the Camden household, everyone was piling out of three cars. They have a big family, so it makes sense. Martin had driven Matt and Sarah home in his car, and on the way, they'd given him exciting news. They were expecting, but were going to tell the family later. Martin was having the best day of his life. Ruthie was alright for now, she loved him, and he was the only to know Matt and Sarah's secret. His luck would change in the future, however.  
After Martin entered the house, Annie and Eric called him to the kitchen, where many discussions, concerning just about everything, took place in the past.  
"Martin," Eric began, "We know that you won't break Ruthie's heart. But if you two are going to date, there have to be some ground rules."   
_Great, in this family that basically means I'm screwed. _  
"Martin, we want you to know that we trust you, so we're going to be a little less obsessive than some other guys that have dated our daughters. Wait a minute, doesn't Ruthie still date Vincent?"  
Martin's heart sank. He hadn't even thought about Vincent. Was she still dating him? Was she just drugged up, and told him that she loved him? What if she didn't mean it the same way he did?  
"Mrs. Camden, what time are we eating?"  
"Well, maybe around 7? I'm not really sure, I don't even know what we're going to eat! We have food, but I didn't know the whole family was going to be in town." (I've kind of changed it to where any immediate family that doesn't live in the Camden household, such as Simon, Mary, etc. have all planned to surprise their parents with a little mini-reunion. So that's why Annie is unprepared.)  
Martin looked down at his watch. 6:00 on the nose. That gave him an hour to talk to Ruthie.  
"Okay, well, I'll be back by 7:00."   
Martin grabbed his keys, and ran outside, starting his engine. Martin, in such a hurry, even forgot to buckle his seatbelt.  
When Martin found Ruthie, she was talking to a nurse. Martin was surprised, seeing as how about an hour ago, she couldn't speak at all.  
After the nurse left, Ruthie looked at Martin with a warning glare.  
"Martin, DO NOT tell anyone that I can talk."   
"Ruthie, you're famous for your mouth. Why wouldn't you want to talk?"  
"So I don't have to tell them what's wrong with me. I'm just not ready. When I'm ready to talk, I'll talk."   
"Ruthie, do you still go out with Vincent?"  
"No, we went through a messy breakup. I really don't want to talk about it, okay?"  
"So you still have feelings for him?"   
"No. I love you, Martin. Come here."  
Martin walked over to Ruthie, where she pulled him down, arms around his neck, and kissed him. Suddenly, Ruthie pulled back. "I'm sorry, I just can't. It brings back a lot of stuff."  
"What kind of stuff?"  
"Look, you can't tell anyone about this, but seeing as how you want to date me, you need to know."  
"Ok." 


	3. Chap 3 Dont Say Baby

"Oh my god! How could this happen to you? Babe, who was it?" Martin asked.   
Ruthie had just taken half an hour to describe to him exactly what was wrong with her, why something was wrong with her, and what had happened, minute by minute.  
Ruthie, now with tears rolling down her cheeks, "I don't know. I don't even know who did this to me. It sucks, because I can't tell him, and I can't yell at him, and curse him for doing this to me. I just want to make it all go away, and I can't. I just can't."  
Martin, now holding her head in his arms, was crying right along with her. "Ruth, how are you going to tell your parents? Do you want me to tell them? God, I can't imagine how you're feeling right now."  
Ruthie suddenly became nervous. "You're not going to dump me already, are you?"  
Martin was completely surprised by this. "No, baby, the last thing I could do is leave you right now. I told you earlier, that whatever you go through, I'll be right by your side. No matter what, Ruth. I love you, and nothing's going to change that. Okay? I love you."  
Ruthie settled back in his arms. "I love you, too. Please, just don't tell anybody any of this. Okay? I just can't take it right now. I'm freaking out beyond belief, I don't know anything about this, and I'm nervous...I just...I don't even wanna think about it."  
Martin kissed her hair, and sat in her bed, cuddling her. They sat like this for a while, and Martin noticed the clock on the wall. It read 7:30. _Guess I missed dinner._  
"Wait a minute," Martin said, "weren't you starving yourself?"  
"Yeah, so?"  
"Ruthie, that's dangerous. Even more so with this now added to it all. Why? If you suspected this, why weren't you eating?"  
"I was hoping that it was just me eating too much. Then, I went into denial, and it went to hell from there. That's why I'm here. I'm sorry, I really didn't mean to scare you. I scared myself more than you."   
"Did you really pass out? Or was that just to get your mother off your case?"  
"I really did. Do you really think that in my condition I would want to come to the hospital? I'm just glad Dr. Brooks didn't tell them. I want them to find it out from me, eventually." _Which may be never, _Ruthie thought.   
Martin got up and grabbed his coat. "Look, I have to go, but I'll be back tomorrow, okay? Please, just be careful, and don't cry. It kills me watching you cry."  
Ruthie briefly smiled, "Okay. I love you."  
"Love you too, babe."  
Ruthie felt a shiver up her spine, hearing Martin talk to her like that. Suddenly, she felt sick again.  
"Martin..."  
She ran to the toilet, where Martin rushed and held her hair back.  
Ruthie was now bawling. "I hate this! I hate this! I hate it all! Make it all go away, Martin! Please!"  
"I can't, Ruth. I just can't."

Martin walked though the front door of the Camden residence, and heard everyone talking in the kitchen. He threw his keys on the table, and slowly walked towards the kitchen. As he passed a mirror, he noticed how awful he looked. He quickly dashed in the bathroom, to wash away the stains of tears, although he knew there would be many soon to come.   
"Martin! Is that you? We were..." Annie suddenly stopped, noticing Martin's tear-stained face.  
"Martin? Did you talk to Ruthie?"  
"Yeah, I did. Believe me, she'll want to talk to everyone. Could we just go now?"  
"Is she hurt?"  
"You could say that. She's hurt more emotionally than anything, though."  
Annie quickly rounded up the family, and gathered every one in different cars. Matt and Sarah were again in Martin's car, discussing their pregnancy, which they still hadn't told everyone about.  
"Look, you guys. I'm really, really happy for you guys. Please, just don't talk about pregnancy right now. You'll understand when we get there."   
"Wait. Martin?" Matt began. "Is Ruthie..pre..pr...preg..."  
"Matt. I said wait until we get there. Okay? She wants to tell everybody."  
Matt sat back down, as he and Sarah exchanged glances. Martin noticed this, and replied to them with, "It's not what you think. Believe me." 

Ruthie was surprised to see her family walk through her door, and take seats around her. When Martin came in, she looked at him. "You told them?" she mouthed.  
"They need to know. The sooner the better, Ruth," he mouthed back.

"Ruthie? Honey, what's going on? We're all really scared now. Please, just tell us. Don't try and act like you can't talk, because something tells me you can."  
Ruthie looked up at her mother, and saw the fear in her eyes, which she rarely saw.  
"Look, this is going to be really hard for me to tell you all, so please just let me finish before you yell, alright?"

"When I went to that party last month, I just went with Alyssa. Vincent couldn't go, and Zac couldn't go with Alyssa, so Alyssa and I went together. Martin was there to chaperone, and watch us. I had gone upstairs because the only thing to drink was beer. I found some water bottles that hadn't been opened or tampered with, so I got one out and chugged it." Ruthie was beginning to cry at this time. "So, I went to use the restroom, because of the water. I found an empty bedroom, with a bathroom attached, and went and used it. I had left the lights on, and when I came out of the bathroom, the lights were off. I saw someone standing in front of me, and I screamed, but he covered my mouth, and that's when it all started."

Ruthie looked up from her hands for the first time, and saw every family member crying. They knew what was coming. Ruthie went ahead with it anyway, knowing it would help to get it off her shoulders. Besides, they didn't know the entire story, yet.

"So, he told me to stop screaming and threw me on the bed. He started hitting me, and cursing at me." Ruthie was having trouble now, as she talked in between heaving sobs. "He wouldn't stop, and he said that what he was doing would be wonderful for me. He raped me, and after what seemed like an hour, he finally got off and just left. I laid there, crying my eyes out. I couldn't breathe, move, and I felt like the life had been sucked out of me. I don't even know who it was."   
"Oh, baby." Annie said, beginning to walk towards Ruthie.  
"DON'T SAY BABY! DON'T SAY BABY EVER AGAIN! I'M PREGNANT WITH MY RAPIST'S CHILD! DO YOU KNOW WHAT THE HELL THAT FEELS LIKE? IT'S KILLING ME! I JUST WANT IT TO GO AWAY, AND IT WON'T! I'M GOING TO HAVE SOMEBODY'S CHILD, AND I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO THE FATHER IS! I CAN'T THINK STRAIGHT, I CAN'T BREATHE, EVERY TIME I THINK ABOUT IT, I GET SICK! SO STOP SAYING BABY!"  
The entire family was shocked by Ruthie's outburst, including Martin. Ruthie lay in the bed, red-faced and crying. Her face was tear-stained, with fresh tears running down even farther. Her eyes, red and puffy, and her nose running.  
"I'm pregnant, and I didn't even want it to happen. I don't know who raped me, but I'm scared. I'm scared that if I have this baby, that it will only remind me of being raped. I don't know what to do. But I am going to have this baby. You can't stop me, because I will become a mother. Even though I'll be sixteen, I'm still keeping my baby, regardless of who's it is."  
The Camden family was still sitting in Ruthie's room. The tears had stopped, but they were still hurt. Hurt because Ruthie had been hurt, hurt because they couldn't have done anything about it. However, it was mainly because she would have many tough days ahead of her, and go through labor before she had a driver's license.  
"I'm guessing Ruthie has told you the news?" Dr. Brook came in, breaking the silence in the room.  
Ruthie nodded her head, indicating that she had told them.  
"I'd like to speak with all of you about this. Seeing as you're all here anyway, I'll just start talking. As I told you, Ruthie was starving herself. Now, she's told me that she was hoping that she was just gaining weight, instead of housing a baby. She was in denial, but knew all along. It is common that after such a traumatic ordeal that she's gone through, to try and harm yourself. However, Ruthie wasn't harming only herself. She may have harmed her child."  
"Is the baby okay? Will Ruthie be okay?" Lucy asked with concern.  
"Ruthie will be just fine. You're lucky that she only starved herself for a week. Being that she's only left out meals for a week, gives her a pretty good chance of keeping the baby. I don't think you have anything to worry about, so plan on having a grandchild in the next year."   
Annie smiled. She loved her grandchildren, her children, her husband. Now her family was growing even larger, maybe even bringing in a new husband. Annie quickly looked at Martin, who was sitting beside Ruthie, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear, causing Ruthie to smile. Annie smiled herself, knowing that Ruthie had found the one that she'd be able to trust and love forever.

"Uh, since we're on a bit of a gloomy note here, I'll attempt to lighten it," Matt said, grinning.  
"Well...?" Eric inquired.  
"Dad, Sarah and I are pregnant. We're going to have a baby," Matt said, now grinning from ear to ear.  
"That's great! Wow! When are you due?" Eric asked, now in a much better mood.  
"Well, seeing as how this is April, we're due in November, since we're about two months along. Ruth, when are you due?" Sara asked.  
"I'm due in December. I'm a month along. Our kids are going to have almost the same birthday!" Ruthie said.  
The entire family was now talking and congratulating Matt and Sarah, but Martin was just staring at Ruthie, mouthing I love you, and looking at her with love Ruthie had never known before. She smiled, and looked at her family. "You're going to be born into a great family," Ruthie said, now looking at her stomach. "One day, you just might have a great dad, too." Ruthie, now looking at Martin, realized that she'd found all she'd ever wanted, and all she'd ever need, and smiled. "You're coming into a great life. I'll make sure of it."


	4. Chap 4 Futures and Fathers

It had been two days since Matt and Sarah had announced their pregnancy, and the Camden family was finally home. Ruthie had been asked to stay in bed for a while, because her body was still weak, and wasn't strong enough to move around a lot.  
Ruthie had piles of magazines, many including articles about pregnancy. She had "What to Expect When You're Expecting" by her bedside as well. She watched "A Baby Story" on TLC, and began to make a list of what she'd need when the baby came along.  
Ruthie had to admit, she was having fun doing all of this. She loved thinking about where to put the baby, what she would buy. She began to think about baby names. If it was a girl, she loved Mandy Katherine. For a boy, she thought about naming it Matthew, but couldn't decide between Matthew Alexander or Matthew John. As a matter of fact, she was hoping for a girl, because she was having a hard time with boy names.  
Martin walked into her room the next morning, and saw her sleeping. He was carrying a tray, with lots of food, and stopped when he saw Ruthie lying on her bed, books in her hand, and her television still on.  
Martin smiled, and set the tray on her bedside table. He kissed her forehead, which caused her to awaken.  
"Morning, sunshine. You fell asleep with a book in your hand and everything."  
Ruthie began to stretch. "Yeah, that kinda happens when you're pregnant. How long did I sleep?"  
"I don't know. You're so gorgeous in the morning."  
"Haha, nice try, Mr. Smooth. I have bedhead, a bulge for a stomach, and I have no makeup on."  
"Believe me, baby, you look better without your makeup. A little bit doesn't hurt, but don't overdo it. It just makes you look made-up."   
Ruthie, in a sarcastic tone, asked, "Are you saying that I look fake with makeup? Are you making fun of the way I look?"   
Martin laughed, and leaned in to kiss her. They had been making out for quite some time, when Ruthie pulled away and said, "You know, I have just-woke-up breath. I haven't even brushed my teeth, yet. So, you're kissing me, why exactly?"  
Martin smiled at her and said, "Simply because I love you, and want you to be the girl I kiss for the rest of my life, so I better get used to this. There will be times when I wake up and kiss you, and you won't have brushed your teeth. Might as well get used to it now."  
"You've thought about a future for us? What do you see?"  
Martin now had a faraway look in his eyes. "Well, we'll get married, and everyone will be there. Then, we'll move to a small town, where we can raise the kids, and let them grow up without worry of the big city. We'll move into a large house. You'll work from the house, and I'll go out and work, coming back at the end of the day. We'll go out for walks around the town, and stop by the local ice cream place every now and then, spoiling our kids. We won't move too far from here, though, so that we can visit your parents if we have to. We'll have lots of children, and raise them until college. We'll grow old together, and we'll watch as our grandchildren, and then our great-grandchildren, all grow up. We'll both die old, and meet again in heaven. So, yeah, I've planned this out since the day I met you, which is the day I fell in love with you. I just didn't know it."   
Ruthie smiled, and pulled Martin towards her, kissing him with all the love she felt for him. After pulling away, she smiled again. "I love you, and I want the exact same thing. So, if we're getting married, how are you going to propose?"  
Martin looked at her, with a confused face. "Who said I was proposing?"   
He laughed as Ruthie's face went from dreamy to confused. "I'm not going to tell you. I want it to be a surprise."  
Ruthie rolled her eyes. "Fine." She then looked over at the breakfast tray that Martin had brought. She noticed a vase, containing a peach rose. "Aw, babe. You got me a peach rose? How'd you know that's my favorite?"  
Martin acted like he was cracking his knuckles. "Well, let's just say that there aren't any secrets in this household."  
_There is one pretty big secret in this household..._ Ruthie thought.  
Ruthie covered up her thoughts with a laugh, and she and Martin kissed again. By the time Ruthie was ready to eat, her breakfast had to be reheated. 

Ruthie had spent almost an hour in the bathroom, spilling her guts and anything left inside of her. Lucy had heard her in the bathroom, and was now holding her hair back and stroking it.  
"I'm going to kill whoever decided to call this morning sickness. It's lasted the whole...the..."  
Ruthie ducked her head back into the toilet as Lucy gave her some words of kindness.  
"Ruth, when I was pregnant with Savannah, I felt awful, too. Soon, though, you'll feel better. Well, you won't feel sick anymore, but you'll feel fat."  
"Anything would be better than this. I'm going to kill whoever did this to me. I wanna know, and I can't."   
"You know, Ruthie. You can go to the doctor and ask if they can do some sort of test. Maybe then you'll know who the father is."   
_Truth is, Luce...I know who the father is._

Ruthie was walking around the Promenade with Martin, holding his hand and telling stories. Ruthie never felt sick when she was with Martin. She always felt like she had been completed. She didn't think about being pregnant, until Martin would place his hand on her belly.  
"Martin, I think I know who the father is. I'm not sure, but his voice sounded so familiar."  
"Ruthie, why didn't you tell me? Who do you think it is?"  
_Okay Ruthie...you can tell him. Three little words... _  
Right as Ruthie was going to tell Martin, Mac spotted them and walked over.  
"Hey, Martin. Ruth-ie...are you...?"  
"Yes, I'm pregnant. I'm not fat, just pregnant."  
"Dude, is it yours?" he asked Martin.  
Ruthie quickly looked at Martin, and the look on his face was quite an odd one.  
"What? No! God, don't you think I'd be dead by now if it was mine? No! Some guy raped her a couple months ago, and now she's pregnant with his child."  
"She's pregnant with...rape...his...I gotta go."  
"Dude, what's wrong?"  
"I really gotta go. Good luck, Ruthie. Martin, I'll see you later...maybe."

Martin was confused by Mac's behavior at the Promenade, but Ruthie knew what was going on. She knew who's it was, and was scared of telling Martin, afraid of what his reaction would be. Ruthie knew that she had to tell someone. So, she went to the most caring person she knew.

"Lucy, can we talk?"  
"Sure, Ruthie. What's wrong?"  
"I know who the father is."  
"Did you go to the doctor? How do you know?"  
"No, I didn't go to the doctor. I just know. Women's intuition, I guess. Do you have that?"  
"Ruthie, all women have that. Some just don't use it very well."  
"Yeah, like Mary, right?"  
Mary entered the room, and upon hearing this, she threw a pillow at Ruthie.  
"What are you talking about? I have women's intuition, I just prefer not to use it. So what's up?"  
"Ruthie knows who the father is."  
"Oh my god, Ruthie. Who?"  
Ruthie took a deep breath, and looked up, but began to second guess her decision to tell them. She then heard herself saying something that she had no control over.

"I think the father is...I think it might be...it's Mac."

"Oh my god, Ruthie...are you sure?" Lucy asked. Mary had been wondering the same thing, and was now sitting on the bed beside Ruthie.  
Ruthie heard herself weaving a tale of lies. However, she knew that she wasn't ready yet to tell the truth.  
"I'm almost positive. When Martin and I went to the Promenade, Mac saw that I was pregnant, and asked Martin if it was his. Of course Martin said no, and then told Mac that I'd been raped, now pregnant, yada yada, yada, and then Mac got all weird and said he had to go. I'd suspected it was Mac because whoever it was sounded like him, but this just confirmed what I already knew. Now, I just have to tell Martin, which won't be fun."  
Ruthie fell back onto the bed, laying her hand on her forehead, exhausted, and she hadn't even broken the news to Martin. She was hoping that her scene was working, but then again, she was the best actress in the family.  
Mary now spoke up. "Ruthie, shouldn't you wait to tell Martin until you're positive Mac is the one that did it?"  
"Yeah, you're probably right. Your women's intuition might be working after all."  
Mary again socked Ruthie with a pillow, and the pillowfight continued until there was a knock on the door.  
"Who is it?" Ruthie asked, innocently.  
"It's me, babe. Can I come in?"  
"Yeah." Ruthie took a quick look in the mirror and checked her hair. Mary and Lucy both rolled their eyes. Shut up, Ruthie mouthed.  
Martin walked in and slid his arm around her waist. "How are my two favorite people doing?"  
"Geez, Martin. You act like Mac's kid is yours or somethin'. Oh...crap..." Lucy, realizing what she had just said, "Mary, I think Mom's yelling at me. Can you come to vouch for me?"  
"Yeah, see ya, Ruthie."  
Ruthie gave a dangerous look towards the two of them. _Great, now he's getting into this story...not the way I planned on telling people. _  
Martin scooted away from Ruthie. "What was she...Mac...he did...no, he couldn't...what? If you knew, why didn't you tell me?"  
"Martin, I didn't know. I'm not sure if it's his, but it sounded like him, and after the way he acted at the Promenade today, I just...I just...it just seems to be him, that's all. Look, I was coming to tell you, but I was afraid of your reaction. I didn't even tell them the truth. I wanted to tell you first, though."

Martin suddenly looked bloodthirsty, and cut Ruthie's sentence off. "I'll be back in a while. Tell your mom I'll be back in time for dinner."   
"No, Martin. Wait!" Ruthie yelled to no avail. Martin stormed out, grabbing his coat and getting into his car. He backed out of the driveway, and noticed Ruthie running towards his car.   
"Martin, please don't do this. You might do something you'll regret. Please, just come inside so we can talk. There's really no reason to..."  
"Ruth, nobody, especially one of my best friends, hurts you like he's hurt you. He deserves what he's about to get."  
"Martin! No!"  
Martin sped off in the direction of Mac's house, talking to himself. "I trusted him, I knew he liked her, and I thought nothing of it. When I saw him at the party with a smug look, and then Ruthie all shaken up, I didn't even think about it. I'm going to hurt him just like he's hurt her.  
No one hurts my baby, not anyone."


	5. Chap 5 Confronting Truth

Martin pulled into Mac's driveway, nearly missing his mailbox. _I still need to buff those scratches. _  
Martin stormed up to the front door, and rang the doorbell. He waited as patiently as he could for the door to open, and finally Mac opened it. When Mac opened the door, Martin grabbed him by the collar.  
"You raped Ruthie? You perverted freak! How could you do that? What is wrong with you? You've made her life a living hell! What could possibly be going through your mind for you to do something like that? What is wrong with you?"  
Mac, surprised by Martin, asked Martin to put him down so they could talk. However, it came out as a choke, seeing as how Martin was holding him by the collar.  
Martin lowered him to the floor, and pushed Mac into a chair. "What could possibly be going through your mind that you could do something that evil and that selfish? Now, you're going to have a kid with her, that neither you nor she wants. What's wrong with you, man?" Martin said through clenched teeth.  
"Look, Martin. I'm sorry. Really, I am. I was drunk, and I know that's no excuse, but I wasn't thinking straight. I'm really sorry."  
"Mac, if you were drunk, then how do you remember raping her?"  
"Because I sobered up during all of it, and once I realized what I'd done, I was afraid. So I ran, and just left her there. I'm really sorry. Now, I'm having a kid with her. God, this sucks."  
"Mac, I swear to God, you better pray that Ruthie doesn't take you to court. I think she ought to, but being the sweet girl she is, she may not. Believe me, though, I think that there's a good chance you'll feel some heat from her. Listen, I'm going to go, so that I don't do something that I'll regret later, but don't think you're getting off easy from this. I can't...I just can't believe you, man."   
"Martin, look, I'm sorry. Really, I..."  
Martin slammed the door behind him, and got into his car, where he burst into tears. Not for himself, not for Mac, but for Ruthie. Ruthie, the girl who was pregnant with his best friend's kid. If anyone was going to knock Ruthie up, Martin had hoped it would've been him, but instead, Mac came along. Martin started the engine, and drove home. 

Ruthie was waiting for him on the front porch. When she saw him pull up, she ran over to his car. She saw that he didn't plan on getting out, so she opened the door and got in the passenger side.   
"Did Mac do it?" Ruthie asked without looking at Martin.  
"Yeah," Martin said, running his hand through his hair, and then putting his head in his hands.  
Ruthie began to lightly sob. "You know, Martin. If I had to choose someone to have a baby with, it would've been you," Ruthie said, all the while knowing that her story was going right over Martin's head.  
"I would've had a baby with you, too, but that doesn't change anything, does it?"  
"Well, Martin, if we get married, which we will, right?"  
"Ruthie, I already explained this. As soon as it's legal, I'm marrying you. You're the one I want to spend my life with. You're the one I wanna have kids with. Nobody else, baby." Martin kissed her forehead, and brought her into his chest.  
"Okay, I wanna marry you, too. Maybe when we marry, you can adopt this kid, and then you'll be a legal guardian. I don't even want Mac near my baby. He hurt me, and deserves what he's gonna get."  
"What's that, Ruth?"  
"A court trial."

Martin and Ruthie walked in the back door, leading to the kitchen. So many stories had begun and ended through this door, and another one was yet to come.  
Annie was in the kitchen, slicing up vegetables for dinner that night. When Martin and Ruthie entered, she looked up.   
"Where have you two been? Is something wrong?"  
"Martin and I need to see everyone in the living room..now. It's important. Everything else can wait. Believe me."  
Martin escorted Ruthie towards the room, as Annie yelled up flights of stairs, through the halls, and outside for all the members of her family to come to the meeting.  
About ten minutes later, Annie had finally come to a stopping point in her preparations for dinner, and everyone was a-s-s-embled on numerous couches and chairs. Simon, now becoming impatient, asked in a humorously serious tone, "Are you two pregnant?"  
Ruthie glared at Simon, almost blurting out something that she was glad she didn't end up saying.  
Mary socked him in the stomach, hard. Simon looked as if he was about to cry, which caused Ruthie to snicker, but only for a short minute. When the family had settled down again, Ruthie spoke up.  
"I've had a feeling about this for a while. I've already told Mary and Lucy, but when I told them, I wasn't sure if this was true. The more I thought about it, the more I thought it was exactly how I figured it would be. Turns out that it is...exactly how I thought it," Ruthie said, feeling guilty for not being honest.  
Mary and Lucy's eyes began to well up with tears, knowing that what Ruthie was about to say would bring torment and pain to the family. They then both looked at Martin, who seemed even more crushed than Ruthie.  
"I found out who the father is. I didn't go to the doctor or anything, but deep down I knew who's this was," Ruthie said, now placing her hand on her stomach. "Martin overheard me telling Mary and Lucy, so that's how he found out. Then, Martin went over to talk, or yell, I don't know...What I do know, though, is that I've been raped by Mac, and his best excuse is that he was drunk." Ruthie was now crying, but she'd begun to cry long before the rest of her family, who were now crying right along with her.  
"I want to take him to court, and make him suffer like I've had to. I can't live like this anymore, knowing he's out free, and could hurt somebody else."  
"Well, what did you say to him, Martin?" Matt chimed in.  
"I told him that he was a freak, and that Ruthie will go after him. I told him to be thankful that I didn't hurt him...and I told him that he has a lot of guts to hurt my baby like that. I told him that he'd be extremely lucky if Ruthie didn't make him come to court, which she's setting up a court date, so that didn't quite work out for Mac, did it?"  
The Camden family exchanged glances, and then looked at Martin, who was holding Ruthie in his arms, stroking her hair and whispering that everything was going to be just fine. They watched as he kissed her hair, smelled it, and cried right along with her. When he looked at the family again, he saw smug smiles on everyone's faces. "What?" he asked.  
"Nothing, it's just...you act like you've gone out forever, and are married, but you've only been going out, what...half a month?" Simon asked. "You just seem to fit together perfectly. That's all."  
Martin smiled, and looked down at Ruthie, who looked up at him.  
"Well, I do love her."   
Ruthie smiled, and turned towards her family once more, when she noticed that Kevin had stood up.  
"Where are you going?"   
"Ruthie, do you really think that I'm going to let Mac just sit at home? I'm a cop, so believe me, that won't happen. Just stay here, and I'll take care of it."  
Before Ruthie could say anything, Kevin walked out, and headed towards his car. Martin ran after him, and got in the car with Kevin, who was headed back to Mac's house. Ruthie looked out the window, and watched as Kevin drove off.

Half an hour later, the Camdens received a phone call.   
"Hello?" Sarah answered.  
Sarah made some one word answers, and then hung up. "Eric! Annie!"  
Both walked into the kitchen, and saw the look of worry on Sarah's face. "What is it?" they asked in unison.  
"Martin and Kevin were in a car accident. Martin's hurt...bad."

Eric, Annie, and Sarah were rushing around the house. They knew that Ruthie and Lucy would be the hardest to tell. After some more talk on the phone, it was found that Kevin had some minor injuries, however, Martin had severe head trauma, and at last call, was unconscious.  
Simon was the one to find Ruthie, who was admiring herself in a mirror, smiling as she rubbed her hands on her belly.  
"Ruthie? Hey, sit down. We need to talk."

Matt had finally found Lucy, who was writing a sermon for next week's service. Her father had asked her to read a sermon every other week, and she was freaking out about this sermon. As of now, she had nothing to write.  
"Luce, can I talk to you a minute?"  
"I'm really busy, Matt."   
"Luce, it's about Kevin. It's important."  
Lucy looked up, and after seeing Matt's expression, asked him to sit at the table beside her.  
"What's wrong with Kevin?"   
"Lucy, Kevin and Martin were in an accident. Kevin just broke an arm or something, but Martin's not too good. He's unconscious."  
"Oh my god. Does Ruthie know?"   
"Simon's telling Ruthie now. She's gonna be pretty bummed out."  
"We should go find her."  
"Yeah, come on," Matt said, leading the way towards Ruthie's room. 

"Ruthie, Martin and Kevin were in an accident."   
"Simon, please tell me you're kidding. Please...please tell me this is a sick joke. Simon, no! Is he hurt?"  
Ruthie was now tearing up, however Simon was way ahead of her. Watching Ruthie cry made him cry harder.  
"Ruth, he's unconscious. I'm sorry."

"No, Simon. He can't be."  
Simon pulled her close and held her as she cried. Then, a muffled reply came from Ruthie.

"Martin's the father."  
"What!"   
"Simon, I had to lie. Mac raped me, but this baby...it's Martin's. Martin's having a baby with me, not Mac. If he dies..."   
"Ruthie, he's not going to die. Come on, I'll drive you to the family. Mom and Dad are still herding the cattle."


	6. Chap 6 Truth and Twins

Urbanluver would like to thank you all for reading and for all the great reviews!

Simon backed out of the driveway, and drove off towards the hospital. He looked over at Ruthie, who was sitting in her seat, silently, obviously not wanting to talk. However, Simon had too many questions to let her sit there in silence.  
"Okay, do you mind explaining this to me, Ruthie? First, I'm told that my favorite little sister was raped, and she's pregnant with the rapist's child. Then, I'm told that you were raped, but the kid is Martin's. What's going on, Ruthie?"  
"Mac did rape me, but that was just recently. Martin and I, well, at that party, we both just felt something, and one thing led to another. Then, I found out I was pregnant. We agreed that it had just been a one-time thing that we'd have to keep secret. I didn't tell him I was pregnant."  
"What! Why not? I think the guy deserves to know if you're having his baby."  
"I know he does, but I just couldn't tell him. He looked so scared, like he was worried that someone would find out about what happened. I just couldn't bring myself to do it."  
"Well, what about Mac, then?"  
"A few weeks later, after I'd found out I was pregnant, I asked Martin to take me to a party that he was going to. I told him that Mom and Dad said it was okay, but I never asked them. I just left. When we got there, I asked Martin if he'd meet me in a bedroom upstairs, because we needed to talk. When I got up there, I used the restroom, taking another test to see if I was pregnant. It was positive, so I walked out, ready to tell Martin. Then, Mac was there, and he raped me. By the time Martin finally found the right bedroom, Mac had left, and I just couldn't talk. So, he did. He said that he didn't think we should start anything, and that it would have to be kept secret. So, I said okay, and I just left. He thinks Mac is the father, along with everyone else in this family."  
"So, Martin knows that Mac raped you, but doesn't know the kid is his?"  
"Yeah, and it kills me knowing that now he's unconscious. What if he doesn't wake up?"  
"God, Ruthie. Stop thinking like that. He's gonna be fine. I suggest you tell the family who the real father is. I imagine they'd be happier if they knew that their future grandchild wasn't the product of a selfish rape."  
"I know. I'm sorry, I really am. I shouldn't have lied, but I just didn't know what to do."  
"Well, for starters, you could've told the truth."  
Ruthie laid her head back against the head rest, as Simon pulled into the hospital parking lot.

Ruthie entered Martin's room, and instantly began to tear up, as she saw the love of her life, hooked up to what seemed to be hundreds of machines, and bandaged around the head.  
Ruthie edged closer to the bed, and kissed Martin on the cheek. She was upset when he didn't move at all.  
Ruthie had asked her family, who was in the waiting room, to give her a moment alone with Martin. She began to talk to him, hoping that something would wake him up.  
"Martin, you can't be hurt like this. I want to spend my life with you. You're everything to me. And I can't...Martin, I just can't...I can't bring...this...your...baby into the world without you."  
Ruthie was sobbing freely, and with every ounce of her body, tried to control herself, but found it impossible. She laid down next to Martin on his bed, and sniffed him, but all she could smell was blood and emptiness. She no longer smelled the famaliar smell of the man she loved. The man she was having a baby with, and, because of her fear, didn't even know it.  
"Martin, this baby is yours. You have to wake up. I don't know what I'll do if you don't wake up soon. I need to tell you. I love you, Martin Brewer. I want to marry you. I won't be able to do that if you don't listen. Please, Martin! Wake up!"  
Ruthie went into a fit of rage, throwing things and crying her eyes out, until she curled up in a ball, sitting in a corner.  
Kevin had been passing by on his way to the vending machines, and heard Ruthie screaming. He walked in and saw her sitting on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She had wet stains on her shirt and pants from her tears, and Kevin's heart fell.  
He walked over to Ruthie, and sat down beside her. "Ruthie, I'm really sorry. It's my fault..."  
"No, it's not. Kevin, don't blame yourself. Nobody could've done anything."  
"He had his seatbelt on and everything. I don't know how he got hurt this bad."  
Ruthie gave a weak smile. "He'll never forget his seatbelt. He may forget everything else in the world, but he'll never forget about his seatbelt."  
Remembering the times when he'd reminded her, or bugged her, brought her back to tears. _That's all I ever do now, is cry. _  
"Kevin, is everybody still in the waiting room?"  
"Yeah, why?"  
"Well, tell them all to come here. There's something I need to tell everyone."  
Kevin kissed her forehead, and went to find the family. Ten minutes later, everyone entered, and took spots around the room to stand or sit.  
"Ruthie, what's the matter?" Carlos asked.  
"I know that this has been hard on all of us. Me getting pregnant, and now this. But...this has been hardest on me. I didn't tell the whole truth about my pregnancy. Don't get hopeful, I am pregnant, but I lied about the father."  
"How could you lie about that? Wait...is Mac not the father?" Lucy asked.  
"Yeah. Mac's not the father. He raped me, but that was after I found out I was pregnant. At a party before that, Martin and I...well...we just...Martin's the father."  
The room was stone silent for what seemed like an eternity. The women in the room began to cry, and Annie looked away. Finally, when she mustered up the strength, she asked Ruthie, "Why did you lie to us, Ruthie? You should've told us. Telling us the truth in the first place would've made this much easier to take." Annie looked away from her daughter, and buried her head in Eric's arms.  
Ruthie looked down at her stomach. "I'm sorry...really. I was just scared, and I didn't want Martin to know...I...I'm sorry." Ruthie felt extremely guilty, and broke down. She couldn't talk anymore, so Simon took notice and stepped in.  
"She was going to tell Martin the night Mac raped her, but after that happened, she shut the world out. She told me on the way over."  
Eric finally spoke up. "So, this kid is Martin's? And now Martin is in a coma, and may not wake up? Ruthie, I'm so sorry. As angry as I am with you, I have to say. Martin is probably the best guy to have a baby with. I know this must be hard for you. Ruthie, he'll wake up. He'll be here for the birth. Don't worry."  
Ruthie walked over to her father who had helped her through many things, who she'd confided in after overhearing something in the family, and curled up in his lap. She realized that this was uncomfortable, since she couldn't suck her stomach in, so she unrolled herself and sat in his lap, crying in his shoulder.  
The family sat like that for a while, giving Ruthie hugs, talking to Martin, and listening to the beeps of Martin's machines, which were the only thing that showed Martin was still alive.

_I love you, Ruthie Camden. Please don't worry about me, I'm going to come out of this, as soon as God allows. I'm going to be there for the birth of my baby. When I get back, and soon, I'm going to hold you like there's no tomorrow. Soon, I'm going to hold our child, and one day, I'm going to hold you in my arms as I carry you across the threshold of our first house of a married couple. Don't worry about me. I'm fine, Ruth. I love you..._

Ruthie walked into the room where Matt and Sarah had been staying. Sarah had recently found out that she and Matt were having a baby boy. Sarah hadn't been feeling too well, and Matt and Sarah had both decided that they would stay in Glen Oak until a while after the birth, when they could go back home. What about their jobs? They put in a temporary transfer, and received a temporary license to work in Glen Oak Regional hospital. (I don't know if you can do that, but it sounds intelligent.)  
Ruthie found Sarah, lying on her bed, reading a magazine. "Sarah? Can we talk?"  
"Yeah, what's up, sweetie?"  
"Well, I'm going to find out if I'm having a girl or a boy today, but I was hoping Martin would be there with me. It's his baby, too, ya know?"  
"Ruthie, I know..."  
"Ruthie! Ruthie!"  
Simon ran up the stairs, almost tripping over Sam and David, who were playing in the hallway. "Why don't you two go play in your room? Less chance of someone dying in the hallway."  
"Why are people dying in the hallway?" Sam asked.  
Simon rolled his eyes. "Never mind. Ruthie! There you are! We have to get to the hospital, now."  
"Simon, my appointment isn't for another two hours."  
"Ruthie, Martin woke up."

Ruthie ran into the hospital, and into Martin's room. It had been half a month since Ruthie had told her family about Martin being the father, and since then Martin had been constantly improving, and now, he'd finally woken up.  
As soon as she walked in, she saw Martin.  
"Babe, I was so scared!"  
Martin smiled, and said, "So we're having a baby together?"  
"What? How did you.."  
"Dr. Brook didn't know that you told everyone Mac was the father. So, he started asking me a bunch of questions, and I kind of figured it out. Plus, I heard you while I was out of it, I guess you could say," Martin said with a laugh.  
"You could hear me? God, I sounded awful."  
"Ruthie, why didn't you tell me?"  
"I wanted to, but on the night I was ready to, Mac raped me, and I just didn't want to talk to anybody."  
Martin motioned for her to come hear him, and placed his hand on her stomach, looking at it with adoration Ruthie had never seen in him before. Then, he brought her close and kissed her. (makeout scene starts)  
When they'd finished, Martin asked Ruthie if it was a boy or a girl.  
"I'm finding out today, actually. I'm so glad you're awake, we'll get to find out together."  
"Ruthie, will they let me out of the room?"  
"I'll ask them to let you walk down to the maternity ward. I'm sure that if it's somewhere in the hospital, they won't mind."  
"Yeah, but this gown is quite drafty in the back."  
Ruthie blushed. "Well, it's not anything I haven't seen before."  
Martin laughed. "I don't want the rest of the hospital seeing it though." Martin's face suddenly went from happy to worried. "Crap. Have you told my dad?"  
Ruthie suddenly realized that she was leaving out a key person. He didn't even know Ruthie was pregnant, let alone know that he would soon be a grandfather.  
"No. God, I completely forgot. Why don't you tell him? I told all my family."  
"Alright. Give me the hard job."  
"I told my family of a billion people, AFTER I already lied to them. I think you're capable of telling one person."

Hours later, after Ruthie and Martin had caught up, Martin was allowed to walk to maternity with Ruthie. They waited, and finally the doctor was ready to see them.  
"Well, Ruthie. Glad to see the father is back up."  
"Yeah, couldn't miss this."  
_Father. I'm going to be a father. To Ruthie Camden's baby. That's one thing I never thought I'd have to think about. _  
Dr. Graham began putting the jelly stuff on Ruthie's belly, and they saw the first pictures of their...  
"Well, here's your children," Dr. Graham said.  
"Oh my god, Martin. Look at them...wait, did you say CHILDREN? As in plural?"  
"Yes, I did. You two are having twins. Looks like a boy and a girl."  
Ruthie felt as if she was going to faint. One child was going to be hard enough, but two..?  
"Wait, sir. You're telling me that Ruthie and I are having two children? At the same time?"  
"Yes, that's exactly what I'm telling you. You two are having twins. As in two babies. I'll give you two a minute."  
Dr. Brook left the room, and Ruthie looked at Martin. "Are you sure that we can handle two kids? Martin, one will be hard enough, but I don't know if I..."  
"Ruthie, you're going to be a great mom. If God wants us to have two kids, then we're going to have two kids. It's a boy and a girl, which means we both get our way. I get my boy to coach in baseball, and you get the girl to go shopping with every weekend, and buy me out of my own house. So, it all works out."  
Ruthie smiled. "I'm so glad that I'm having a baby with you."  
"I am, too. I'm kind of glad that we...ya know."  
Ruthie smiled, and laughed, looking back at the ultrasound pictures. Martin grabbed her hand.  
"So, how are we going to tell your family?"  
"The truth. We'll tell them that instead of two grandchildren within a month of each other, they're going to have three within a month of each other. Geez, my parents are gonna go head over heels."  
"Lucy will be worse. Don't you know that she's going to be all over us?"  
Ruthie laughed, and Martin laughed with her.  
"Two kids, Ruth. Between you and me. I wouldn't have it any other way."  
Ruthie smiled, and kissed Martin, knowing that she'd be kissing him the rest of her life.


	7. Chap 7 Baby Names

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapters. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

Martin and Ruthie walked back down to Martin's room, where the entire family was.  
"Martin, we were so worried about you! We thought you'd been taken to surgery or something," Annie said.  
Martin laughed, as he got back into his bed. Martin noticed, however, that Matt and Simon were giving him the "how-dare-you-touch-my-sister-like-you-did-now-you're-dead" look. He tried to ignore it, but it was like they were burning through his soul. Martin finally spoke up.  
"Look, you two. What I did was wrong, but that doesn't mean that I needed to be treated any differently. Mac is the one you should be mad at, not me."  
Matt and Simon just looked away, and Martin rolled his eyes. He looked at Ruthie, and, with his eyes, asked if she was ready.  
She nodded, and she got the family's attention.  
"Guys, we both went to my appointment, and we found out what we're having. I'm going to let Martin tell you, though."  
Martin looked at Ruthie, as though he was shocked. "Ruth, I think we should both tell them."  
"Hurry up! I wanna know if I'm going to have a niece or nephew," Lucy yelled.  
"Well, you're going to have both! We're having twins!" Martin yelled with joy.  
Hugs and kisses came to Martin and Ruthie faster than fire spreads through a forest. Everyone was crying, and hugging, and kissing, and crying some more, until the rush had finally stopped. Matt and Simon had been so excited that they actually hugged Martin, saying, "Congratulations, you'll be a great dad..." and Martin felt a bit better. He knew that they'd never feel the same way about him, but at least they were speaking to him.  
"So, how are you going to decide on names?" Kevin asked.  
"Oh, we've covered that. Martin will name the boy, and I'll name the girl. I'm thinking about Abigail Ryann, in honor of Grandma, but I'll probably call her Abby." (I don't know what Annie's mother's name was, but I'm going to pretend that it was Abigail.)  
"Abby...that's gorgeous. How about the boy, Martin?" Lucy asked.  
"Well, I haven't decided yet, but I was thinking about Keith, but I can't decide on a middle name, which is kind of disappointing."  
"So, possibly Keith and Abigail? I love it! Haven't you even considered a middle name yet?" Lucy asked.  
"I thought about Lionel, but it sounds really proper. I don't know, maybe I will, maybe I won't. We'll see."  
"I love Lionel. Keith Lionel and Abigail Ryann. Awww...I love it! What about last names?"  
Martin and Ruthie looked at one another, and decided to tell them what they'd decided on.  
"Well," Ruthie began, "we plan on getting married. Not because of the kids, but because we really do love each other. So, we're going to go ahead and name them as Brewers."  
Annie seemed a little disappointed, but was immediately brightened when she realized that they were planning on getting married. "You two want to get married?"  
"Yeah. I love her, Mrs. Camden. I really do. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."  
Eric stood up, and went to shake Martin's hand. "When the time comes, and not a minute sooner, I give you my blessing."  
"As do I," Annie said, giving Martin a hug. Martin smiled.  
"Thank you, and believe me. I won't propose TOO terribly early."  
Ruthie playfully slapped him, and Martin laughed. The men of the family shook Martin's hand, and the women gave him hugs. Martin was glad that he would be accepted, and couldn't wait until the day he would slip a ring on Ruthie's finger.  
"So, Keith Lionel Brewer and Abigail Ryann Brewer. I feel like they're here already. You guys are going to be great parents," Mary said with a smile.  
Martin smiled back. "I don't know about me, but I know that Ruthie will be a great mom."  
Ruthie smiled, and began to laugh. The entire family joined her, and soon, real laughter was heard for the first time since Ruthie's pregnancy was announced.

It had been one month since Ruthie had found out that she was having twins. Half a month after the discovery, Martin was allowed to come home. Ruthie was now five months along, and felt like a balloon. It bummed her out that she still had four months to go, and she already felt huge enough. However, she was constantly reminded that in four months, she'd be the proud mother of two children. All in all, she was pretty excited.  
Martin had been asked to be kept on bedrest. Since he'd suffered the head trauma that he had, he didn't have the strength to keep himself on his feet, yet. As much as Martin wanted to help with painting the room, and moving furniture in, he had to sit in bed and eat only certain portions of certain foods. For Martin, it sucked.  
"Hey babe. How's the room coming?"  
"I wouldn't know. I can't stand up straight, my stomach is so heavy. I've been laying on the couch downstairs."  
"Come here," Martin said, and moved over so that Ruthie could fit her big belly on the bed. Martin slid his arm around her, and placed his other hand on her stomach.  
"Remember the night they started kicking?"  
"Yeah, I walked in here, and you thought I was in labor. You were yelling about how you couldn't get out of bed. Man, that was hilarious."  
"I was hoping that we wouldn't remember that part. Anyways, once I finally calmed down, I felt them kick, and then I hugged you, and your parents screamed when we were in the same room in the morning."  
"Then, we finally convinced them that we'd just fallen asleep after feeling them kick, and now they'll never trust us again."  
"Yeah, but they haven't trusted for a while, and that wasn't the reason."  
Ruthie smiled, and nestled back into his chest. Martin sniffed her hair, which was one of his most favorite scents.  
"Ruthie, isn't your trial against Mac coming up?"  
Ruthie's smile faded. "Yeah, next week. I hate it. I wish that he'd never done this. It will really be tough to convince people if I'm pregnant by someone else."  
"Don't worry, baby. You'll be just fine. There's no way that I'm going to let him win, alright?"  
"Okay. I love you, Martin."  
"I love you, too."

"So, how was the room coming along last time you checked?"  
"Last time I checked, they were starting the paint."  
"What color are they painting it?"  
"They're painting it some kind of green shade. I don't know what shade, but they said it's green."  
"I thought we agreed on half purple, half red."  
"Well, yeah, but I thought one color would make it less busy."  
"Babe, I thought this was going to be something we decided on together."  
"Well, everything else is how we decided on it, as of now."  
"What do you mean, as of now?"  
"Martin, don't flip out. It's just a room color."  
"Ruthie, it's the room in which our children will grow up in for a while. I'd like everything to be how we both agreed on it."  
"You're just mad that you can't get up."  
"Well, yeah. I'd be much happier if I was a-s-s-isting instead of lying down all day, but I can't do anything about it. You know, you could be helping some."  
"Oh, so that's how it works out? You can lie down all the time, but I have to help?"  
"It's your children's room, too, Ruthie."  
"I am pregnant! With two children! I'm double the size that a women with one baby is at five months! Don't talk to me about helping out. I'm helping out enough by bringing your children into this world, so don't tell me that I'm not making my contribution."  
Ruthie walked out the door, slamming it on her way out. Martin heard a thud as soon as the door shut. Worrying about Ruthie, he walked outside, and found Ruthie on the floor.  
"I told you I can't stand up straight, let alone slam doors and keep my balance. You shouldn't be up, babe."  
"Well, you shouldn't be falling on floors with my children."  
Ruthie gave a weak smile, but something had begun to hurt.  
"Martin, I think I did something."  
"Why? What's wrong?"  
"I don't know. Something doesn't feel right."  
"Hang on, babe. I'll get somebody."  
Thankfully, Matt was walking up the stairs. "Martin, you shouldn't be up. Ruthie, why are you on the floor?"  
"Because I enjoy sitting on the floor. It's my...special place," Ruthie said, rolling her eyes.  
"Matt, Ruthie's in pain. She just fell, but we don't know what's wrong."  
"Alright, hang on a minute. Ruthie, I need you to lay flat on your back, okay? Martin, go get Mom and Dad. Oh, and find Sarah, too, okay?"  
Martin walked down the hall, all the while freaking out that something could be terribly wrong.


	8. Chap 8 Joys of Pregnancy

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

"Matt! It hurts, what's wrong with me? Are the babies okay?"  
"Ruthie, I don't know. Just wait a minute, okay? How does this feel?"  
"Ow! Matt, what's wrong with my babies?"  
Martin came running, along with Eric, Annie, and Sarah. Sarah, of course, lagging behind, now six months along.  
"What's wrong with her, Matt?"  
"I'm trying to figure it out, just give me a while. Sarah, can you find my gloves?"  
Sarah gave Matt a look, which meant "I'm pregnant, you loser. Go away." Matt then explained to Annie where his latex gloves were, and Annie went and retrieved them.  
Ruthie was now crying from the pain. She knew something was wrong, however she also felt that she and her children would be okay.  
"Matt, please, just make it stop!"  
"Ruthie, I don't have the equipment I need. Dad, can you drive us to the hospital?"  
"Yeah, sure. Do we need to carry her?"  
"Yeah, it'll probably be best. Martin, you help Dad and I carry her down, alright?"  
"I'm coming with you guys...might as well help you carry her."  
Matt nodded his head, and the three of them carried a sweating and crying Ruthie down the stairs, and laid her in the back of the minivan.  
Eric drove to the hospital, and once they were there, Matt sat Ruthie in a wheelchair, and they pushed her towards Matt's room.

Once Matt had her on the bed, he finally began to figure some things out.  
"Ruthie, how often are the pains coming?"  
"Every couple minutes. Why?"  
"Okay, uh..." Matt walked out to the hallway, and yelled for someone.  
"Janet! I need some help in here!"  
"Matt, what's wrong with her? Is she going to be okay?"  
"Martin, I don't know. I think she's having contractions, so I'm going to have to stop them."  
Martin's eyes widened. "She still has four months."  
"I know. Her water hasn't broken, so stopping them should be fairly easy to do. Just pray that her water doesn't break, because if it does, we have to deliver."  
Ruthie whimpered, and looked at Martin. Martin, now scared for his children and his girlfriend, looked at Ruthie, and saw utter fear in her eyes. Martin felt helpless, and knew that he couldn't do anything. Ruthie was in Matt's hands, and Martin had never trusted him more.  
"Okay, Ruth. I think you're having braxton-hix (sp?) contractions. You're getting the sour end of 'em. Most women don't even feel them."  
"Okay. Matt...no uterus, no opinion."  
Matt lightly laughed, and gave his infamous smile (oh, so hott...) and went to work.  
"Janet, can you get me..."  
Ruthie phased out the conversation, and looked at Martin. His eyes were a mix of fear and love for her. She looked at her parents, who were scared out of their minds. She looked at Matt, who was calmly going about helping her, so that she could deliver her babies healthy. She'd never loved or respected her brother more, and she began to cry.  
"Ruthie? Something hurting again?"  
"No, I'm just so thankful that you can help me like this...I love you, Matt."  
Matt smiled. (oh, so hott...) "Love you, too, Ruthie. Okay, I think I've stopped them."  
Ruthie suddenly noticed that the pains had stopped. "Nothing's hurting anymore. Wow, you are a complete miracle worker."  
"No, just a brother who wants to become an uncle to twins."  
Ruthie and Martin smiled, and Martin walked closer. "I was so scared, baby. Matt, are the kids okay?"  
"Yeah. Braxton-hix aren't really that bad, but if they're felt, they can be painful."  
"Oh, you have no idea." Ruthie fell back against the pillow, exhausted from worry and pain.

Matt and Martin helped Ruthie back into the house, each on one side of her, and laid her on the couch in the living room. After everyone had asked how she was, and left the room to congratulate Matt on his quick response, Martin finally was alone with her.  
"I was so freaked out. Are you sure you're okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine, Martin. You should be in bed."  
"I only had another week of bedrest. One week won't kill me." (No, this isn't foreshadowing. Martin's fine.)  
"Four months, Martin. We're going to be parents in four months."  
"I know," Martin said, stroking her arm. He placed his hand on top of Ruthie's, which was on her belly.  
"Four months until Keith Lionel and Abigail Ryann are born. Then, our lives are changed forever."  
"I can't wait. I love you, Martin."  
"I love you, too, Ruth."

Ruthie was six months along, and Sarah was seven. They were both in bed, Ruthie because she was twice the size of normality, and Sarah because she had two months left. The Camden family had set up a bell system, so that if either needed something, they would be attended to.  
Ruthie, however, didn't really need hers, because Martin would stay in her room all day, just talking to her about how they'd go about their life, and feeling her stomach when the children would kick.  
"Three months, babe, and you're going to be a mom. God, how big do you think these kids are?"  
"What's that supposed to mean? Am I really that fat?"  
"No, you're not fat. You're pregnant. How did the trial go with Mac last week? You never told me."  
"I wish you had been there."  
"Ruthie, as much as I love you, I would've been arrested for killing a juvenile delinquent, so there was no point in risking it."  
Ruthie smiled, and went on with the story. "Well, we won, as you heard. What else do you want to know?"  
"Did Mac testify? What did he say?"  
"Mac testified that he did rape me, and that he got me pregnant. Then, I had to tell everyone that it wasn't his, and Mac seemed less...freaked out, I guess."  
"So...what's going to happen to him?"  
"Time in juvy, time in community service, possible house arrest, no probation, and $500,000 bond."  
"Well, he's loaded up."  
"Martin, he's your best friend. Don't you..."  
"No, Ruthie. WAS my best friend, not is. He's a pervert, who raped my pregnant wife."  
"Martin, I'm not your wife yet."  
"So? You're going to be in a few years. You're sixteen, two years and I'm proposing to you."  
"I don't know if my parents are going to go for that."  
"Ruth, I don't know if I'll be able to last another year."  
"Why? Just so you can sleep with me again?"  
Martin flashed a smile, which meant, "hell yeah."  
Ruthie laughed, and...well, best way to put it...insert heavy, steamy makeout scene with large belly in between.

"Martin, I'm getting scared. I mean, it's only three months until I become a mother to two children. To be honest with you, I'm kind of anxious, but at the same time, I'm freaking out. What if I'm not a good mom? What if I can't do it? I don't want Mom to do everything for me. How am I going to catch back up in school after an 8-week maternity leave? Martin, there's just so much, and I..."  
Martin put a finger to her lips. "You are going to be the best mom around. I'm going to help you, and you'll be able to handle both of them. I'll marry you, and then we're going to have more children, and we'll grow old together, and watch our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I'm going to help you, Ruthie. Ya know, I could be one of those guys that sleeps with a girl and just leaves. You're lucky that I stuck with you."  
"You only stuck with me because otherwise my parents would've killed you."  
"Well, yeah, that was an incentive."  
"I love you so much that it hurts."  
"I love you, too, Ruth.."  
"No, it really hurts. Oh my god..."  
"What?"  
"Martin, my water broke."  
"You have two and a half months left, though. Oh god, I'll get Matt. Where did you put the suitcase?" Martin asked, running around the room like a chicken with his head cut off.  
"Ha ha, you loser. Don't you think that if my water broke, my skirt would be wet?"  
"Ruthie, that's the fifth time this week. Stop it. You're like the boy who cried wolf."  
"Except I'm the girl who cried "labor and delivery."  
Martin laughed, just as Matt walked in.  
"Hey, Ruthie. How are you doing?"  
"Fine. I feel enormous, though. I still two and a half months!"  
"Ruthie, in two and a half months, you'll be skinny again with an enormous...uh...chest..."  
Ruthie laughed. "That part I'm looking forward to."  
Martin laughed, and Ruthie noticed his eyes slide down. She slapped him across the face, which caused Matt to crack up.

Ruthie was miserable. She still had one month, and couldn't move at all. Sarah was due any day now. Ruthie felt fat, tired, and just wanted to get it all over with. She'd been extremely tempermental lately, and would get angry over the smallest things now. She was ready to have her children, but they weren't ready to come out.  
"Martin! Martin! Martin...please..hurry!"  
"What! What's wrong? Are you okay? Where's the suitcase?"  
"5 seconds for you to respond. Martin, that's awful! In five seconds, I could have been in severe pain. If you're going to be a good father, you need to respond with attentiveness and quickness."  
"Okay, Mom."  
"What! I am NOT your mother, nor do I sound like her."  
"Darn right you're not my mom. Thank god, too, because she was never this pushy or whiny."  
"I am PREGNANT, Martin. I have ONE month left. Don't tell me that I am whiny or pushy. I am hanging on a limb, any day now I could bust. Just shut up, why don't you?"  
"Oh, so that's how it is then? You can tell me what to do, but because you have a larger belly than me, I can't tell you what to do? Is that how it works now?"  
"Martin, just go away. No, wait, can you help me down to Sarah's room?"  
Martin rolled his eyes, and reluctantly helped her down the hall. As much as he loved Ruthie, their fights seemed to happen more often the farther along Ruthie got. Martin was worried that they would hit a high point after the babies were born.  
"Hey, Sarah."  
Sarah obviously didn't want visitors, but Ruthie sat down anyway. Sarah glared at Martin, and unhappily spoke up.  
"Hey, Ruthie. I feel like I'm going to burst, so if I burst on you, then it's not my fault. Gosh, I can't believe that this guy could come any day now."  
"You never told me what you're naming him."  
"Tyler Lee Camden. What do you think?"  
"I love it! It's a cute name. Whose idea?"  
"Matt wanted the middle name to be Lee, and I chose Tyler."  
"I love it. When did you say your due date was?"  
"It was supposed to be yesterday, so now I am officially overdue."  
"I'm sorry. I wish I was early, I'm so sick of lugging this stomach around."  
"Yeah, wouldn't it be cool if we had our babies on the same day?"  
"Yeah, that'd be hilarious. However, if you..."  
Ruthie was interrupted in a crash of thunder, so loud that the entire house shook, and a pencil case fell off the desk in the room.  
"Wow, that was bad. What's the weather lookin' like?"  
Sarah turned to the weather channel, where they were calling for the worst rainstorm in California's history. They were predicting massive flooding, which caused Sarah to worry.  
"I hope Matt gets home safely. What if I go into labor during the middle of all this?"  
"Sarah, settle down, you'll be...ow!"  
"What? Oh my god, Ruthie, you're early!"  
Ruthie looked down at her skirt, and saw a wet spot in the middle. She began feeling pressure, and realized that she was going into labor one month too soon.  
"Ow! Sarah, yell for Mar-ow! Ooh!" Ruthie began the breathing that she'd been taught in her classes, as Sarah began frantically yelling.  
Martin ran into the room, and, noticing the wet spot on her skirt, began to get everything ready.  
"Babe, where'd you put the suitcase?"  
"It's there..ow! Martin, please hurry!"  
Martin ran around, grabbing everything he could, until he noticed a news announcement. The hospital was flooded in. They wouldn't be able to get there.  
"Sarah, where's Matt?"  
"He was at work, I don't know where he is now, though."  
"I'm right here, what's...okay, uh, Ruthie, you still have another month."  
"Yeah, I'm aware of that. That doesn't change the fact that I'm a month early, though. Please, just get me to the hospital."  
"Yeah, I just came from there, and believe me, no possible way to get there."  
"Well...ow! What are you going to do then?"  
"Ruthie, I'm going to have to deliver your baby. Sarah, I'm going to need you to help me. I had a feeling, so I've got everything that I really need. Martin, go get Mom and Dad, and ask for some old sheets and some old towels."  
Martin ran downstairs, and Ruthie realized that her children would be born soon. Soon, she'd be a full-fledged mother. She freaked out, and began to cry.


	9. Chap 9 Not supposed to be this way

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

Ruthie felt that she had been in labor for hours, and was making no progress at all. She couldn't understand, her water had broken. Being that her water had broken, should mean that going into contractions would've been nothing. Now it seemed that Matt would have to try and get her to the hospital after all.  
"Matt, what's wrong? I don't even feel anything except pressure, and believe me, I know that that's not what you're supposed to feel like."  
"Ruthie, I've never seen this situation before, but from what I've learned, your water may have not actually broken."  
"Well, then what happened?"  
Matt looked up at his father, and Eric knew that whatever it was would scare Ruthie, but not telling her would scare her even more.  
"Ruthie, do you really wanna know?"   
"Yes! The future of my children's lives may be at stake."   
"Ruthie, you may have just lost one of the babies."   
Ruthie's heart fell, and yet she held her head off the floor, even as she watched the world crash around her, including crashing thunder.  
"Then, what was the wet stuff?"  
"Ruthie, that may have been fluid in your uterus. If you lost one of the babies, then you wouldn't need all that fluid. You may not even be in labor."  
"Matt, are you saying that one of my children may not even be there anymore?"  
"No, if you did lose one, it'll still be there. It will just be a stillborn."  
Ruthie began to cry, along with Martin, who she noticed was staring into space, wide-eyed with tears spilling down his face. However, Martin didn't even notice the tears.

Matt, Eric, Martin, and Annie were standing outside, discussing what needed to be done.   
"Dad, I don't want to deliver here. I need to be at the hospital, because she needs some real medical attention. I didn't think that there would be any problems with the birth, so I don't have what I need."  
"Matt, there's no way for you to get to the hospital. You said it was flooded in yourself."  
"Yeah, well..we need to get there. I don't care if I have to get her in the cancer ward. I can't deliver here."  
"Matt, please, don't lose my children."  
Matt looked down at Martin, who was now crying, and felt the utmost sympathy for him. Matt didn't have to worry about losing his son, but Martin was worried about losing his son or daughter. Matt knew that Martin was going through what Matt watched other couples go through every day, and had never once thought that his sister would one day be a statistic.

Matt walked back into the room, where Ruthie was lying on the floor, as Sarah dabbed a towel across her forehead. Ruthie was crying, and crying so hard that she'd caused herself to sweat with exhaustion.   
"Ruthie, listen. We need to get you to the hospital, so we're going to have to find somewhere to get you in there."   
Ruthie, in between sobs, answered, "Matt, you said...the hospital...was flooded...in."  
"Yeah, I know, and it is. There's just no good way to deliver here. It's too dangerous, and you may lose both your children, if you haven't lost one already."   
Ruthie let out a cry, after being reminded that she may only have one child to bring into the world. She looked at Matt, and then at Martin. She saw Martin slink down against the wall, putting his head in his hands. When his head raised, his face was tear-stained, with new tears now rolling freely. He stared out the window, where the rain was pouring hard, and thought, _That's exactly how I feel right now. _He looked at Ruthie, and walked over and hugged her, crying right along with her. He held her tight, and when he pulled away, he placed both his hands on her stomach, and began to cry even harder. He lowered his head to her stomach, and let out huge sobs, loud enough to be heard downstairs, where Simon had entered the house.

After Simon had been filled in, he helped the men of the house load Ruthie into his SUV, and they quickly drove off, as Annie, Sarah, Mary, and Lucy cleaned up the makeshift bed where Ruthie was supposed to deliver her babies.  
"Mom, this was supposed to be a joyous event. Now, Ruthie may not even have two children. What if she doesn't?"  
"Lucy, Ruthie will be okay, regardless of how many children God gives her. All we can do now is pray."

Ruthie laid in the back of Simon's car, as Simon drove slowly to the hospital. California hadn't seen a storm like this come through in hundreds of years, and everything seemed flooded and saturated. Simon was having a tough time finding roads that weren't flooded. Lucky for him, Matt knew all the back roads that could be taken. However, in an unlucky turn of events, those roads had all been flooded so far. Matt was running out of ways, and prayed that there would be one way to get her there.  
Ruthie laid in the back, with Martin holding her hand. He would kiss her forehead every so often, and cry with her as she whimpered, praying that she still had two children.  
"Martin, I really want twins. I thought that two would be too much, but now I realize that it's not enough. I want more with you, but if we don't have both, then I'll..."  
"Ruthie," Martin said, his lip quivering and tears rolling down his face. He was having trouble talking, because of the sobs that emerged from his body.   
"Ruthie, I love you so much. I know that we're going to be just fine, even if I don't get my boy or you don't get your girl." Ruthie began to tear up, and cry. "Ruthie Camden, you are the bravest, most beautiful, just, everything to me. You're perfect. I thank God every day that you are with me. I love you SO much, and I'm going to be here through all of this. It's crazy how much I love you. Everybody says that you don't know what love is at this age, but God knows I do. That night, to me, wasn't a mistake. It wasn't a one-time thing, I want it to just be the first of many special nights that we'll share together, and..."  
"Yes! Ruthie, we've got a clear road. How ya doin'?" Simon asked.  
Ruthie's spirits brightened. Maybe finding a dry road was just the start of good things, at least that's what she hoped.  
"I'm fine, thanks. How much farther?"  
"We're here. Alright, it's pouring. Should we wait?"  
"No, Simon! You idiot!" Matt said, as he slapped Simon across the head. Simon's reflexes caught the better of him, and he and Matt soon got into a head-on brawl. Once Martin pulled the two apart, Matt explained the situation.  
"I need to get her in there soon. If she hasn't lost one of the babies, then she's lost a lot of fluid, which will cause her to lose one, if not both, if we don't deliver soon."  
Ruthie silently prayed, as she was lifted, and taken into the hospital. Matt asked for a clear room in the maternity ward. When asked what it was for, he answered, "Ceserean section, which room is open?"  
"No, Matt. I want to give birth naturally. I don't want the miracle of surgery, I want the miracle of birth."  
"Ruthie, you can't. If I did deliver naturally, you may not make it."  
"What? Matt, you're not serious," Martin yelled, now frightened for three lives, instead of just two.  
"Ruthie, your body is built so thin that having two babies naturally without the normal amount of fluid may kill you. That fluid is what helps get the babies out. It's what makes them, well, slimy when they come out. You've lost quite a bit of that, and if you've lost too much, well, it can be deadly."  
"What would happen, exactly, Matt?"   
"Well, Ruthie, the baby would be stuck. We wouldn't be able to pull the baby, because that could kill it, and your pushing wouldn't help either, simply because the baby would be lodged. So, there's a good chance that you can die of blood loss. If the baby became stuck, then the blood will still flow out, and you wouldn't be able to do anything about it, and we wouldn't either."  
Ruthie looked up at Martin, and saw everything that she'd ever need, and saw love flaring in his eyes for her. She knew that he would always love her, and that he'd be a great father.  
Looking back at Matt, she saw the fear in his eyes, but also the support. She knew in her heart that she'd always be loved, and that she had the support of her family with whatever decision she made. Ruthie took a deep sigh, placing her hands on her belly, and answered.  
"I want to deliver naturally."

Ruthie had changed into a gown, and was laying on the bed, as Matt prepped for delivery. He sat down beside her, and decided to take one last look at the babies before delivery.  
"Okay, Ruthie. I'm just going to look and see if I can hear two heartbeats, and then I'll take an ultrasound to get a clear picture, and make sure that they're not going to be breach, or feet-first."  
"Okay, Matt."  
Matt began to poke and prod Ruthie's stomach, and after lots of it, he came up with a sober face.  
"Ruthie, I can only hear one heartbeat."

Ruthie laid her head back on the pillow, and began to cry as Matt took the ultrasound.  
"Matt, can you see which one is still alive?"  
Martin walked over, kissing her forehead as he cried and hugged her.  
"Ruthie, it looks like you've lost Abby."  
Ruthie looked up at Martin. "Well, you got your boy."  
Martin looked down at her. "Ruthie, it's all going to be okay, alright?"  
"Ruthie, I'm going to break your water, okay? That will induce labor, and it shouldn't take too long."  
"Okay. I'm ready. Which one is coming out first?"  
Matt looked back at the ultrasound pictures. "Looks like Keith will be first."  
Ruthie took a deep breath, and felt her water break. All of a sudden, she felt an enormous amount of pressure, and squeezed Martin's hand.  
"Ow! Ooh! These babies are a hell of a lot more painful than I thought they'd be...ow! Martin, ow!"  
"Dammit!" Matt yelled, startling his father and everyone in the room. Ruthie looked up at him with a tear stained face.  
"Ruthie, your contractions are coming too close together. I need to slow them down, or you'll lose the other baby, okay?"  
"How far am I right now?"  
Matt examined her, and answered, "You've been in induced labor for three minutes, and you're already almost six centimeters along. When I said that labor wouldn't take long, I didn't think it'd be like this."  
Matt ran into the hallway, and came back with an istant, who turned out to be Sarah.   
"Sarah!"  
"Hey, Ruthie. The girls and I were following you. Didn't you notice?"  
"No! Somebody could've told me."  
"Okay, Ruth. You need to listen to me, you're ten centimeters. I can still hear a faint heartbeat, but you need to start pushing fast, or you'll lose him, okay?"   
Ruthie looked at Martin, who came over and held her hand.  
"I'm ready."  
"Okay, one big push, Ruthie. Give it your all."   
Ruthie dug her chin into her chest, and felt excruciating pain rip through her.  
"Martin, Martin, Martin!"  
"Ruthie, I'm right here, but you're about to kill my hand."  
Ruthie glared at him when he said kill, but her glare was stopped short when she heard a baby cry.  
She immediately looked to Matt, and saw that he was holding Keith Lionel Brewer, who was very much alive.   
Ruthie began to cry tears of joy, and asked Matt if she could hold him. She looked around at her family, and every member of her family was in that room, except Sam and David, who had been ordered to stand in the bathroom when she was delivering.  
Matt handed his nephew to Ruthie, as Martin looked down at Ruthie and his child.  
_My son. That's my son. I'm a dad. _  
Mary walked over, as the rest of the family followed. "Wow, Ruthie. He has your eyes, and Martin's nose."  
Ruthie smiled, and laughed. Her laugh was quickly hampered as Matt spoke up.  
"Ruthie, we need to get Abby out. Let Sarah hold Keith, okay?"  
Ruthie reluctantly gave up Keith, and prepared for more pain.  
Two minutes later, Abby was out. Ruthie watched as they rushed her over to a small bed, and looked away as the doctors began to wrap her up. Ruthie quickly looked up, as she heard Sarah yell, "Matt, we've got a heartbeat on Abby."


	10. Chap 10 Deliveries and Proposals

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

Martin, whose head had been resting on Ruthie's sweaty shoulder, raised his head, as did Ruthie, when Sarah yelled out that Abby may be alive after all.  
"What!" Matt yelled, as he ran towards Sarah.  
"Matt, Abby's got a heartbeat. Listen..."  
Matt put the stethoscope in his ears, and a smile wider than the Mississippi crossed his face.  
"Ruthie, Abby's alive."   
Ruthie let out a high pitched squeal, as she looked at Martin. Martin was now crying, except instead of tears of worry and sadness as in the past few days, he was now crying tears of joy. He had two children, not just one. Abigail Ryann Brewer and Keith Lionel Brewer. Martin kissed Ruthie, she kissed him back, and they looked up when Abigail Ryann Brewer, daughter of Martin Brewer and Ruthie Camden, let out a cry that proved she was indeed very much alive.  
Matt and Sarah wrapped up Abby, and walked over, handing Keith to Martin, and Abby to Ruthie.  
Martin looked down at his son, as the family crowded around the newborn twins. Martin stuck his finger in the tiny hand of his son, and his son clenched it, and Martin began to silently cry, feeling love that he'd only felt for Ruthie.  
"Mr. Camden, can I talk to you alone for a minute?"  
"Sure, Martin."  
Martin handed his son to Lucy, who was, of course, waiting for the first vacant baby to show up.  
Martin and Eric found a corner of the room, and Martin began to let his heart out.   
"Mr. Camden, I know that Ruthie's only sixteen, but in two years it will be legal for her to get married, right?"  
"Yes, and I don't know where you're going with this. Are you saying you want to marry her now? I don't think..."  
"No, Mr. Camden, no. I just...I want to be engaged to her. It'll be like a long engagement. I know exactly how I want to propose and everything, and I want to be able to call myself Ruthie's fiance, not just her boyfriend and father of her children."  
"Annie, can you come here a second?"  
Martin sighed, as he seemed to be making some progress. After all, Eric didn't say outright that he couldn't, right?  
"What's the matter? Martin, you're not thinking of leaving already, are you? How could you, you just..."   
"What! No, Mrs. Camden! Believe me, leaving her is the thing farthest from what I'm asking right now. I want to know if I can go ahead and propose to her."  
"Right now?"   
"No, in a few weeks, once she's a bit better, but I want to propose to her. I mean, I bought the ring, I know how I want to do it, and I know I want to marry her. I just think that we could consider it a long engagement. I mean, some couples go five years without getting married. Can't we just wait two?"  
"Wait, you're planning on marrying her when she's 18 and you're 20? Don't you think that's a little young, especially with two kids?"   
"Well, I figured that since Kevin and Lucy are moving out soon, that we can stay in the garage apartment, until we find a place. That's where we plan on staying now.."  
"Wait, you plan on staying in the same room? Together? Sleeping in there..."   
"I've got two beds, Mr. Camden. We won't sleep in the same bed again until we're engaged."  
"Married. Not until you're married, Martin."  
Martin playfully rolled his eyes. "Well...can I propose?"  
Eric and Annie exchanged glances, and both knew that their daughter had made a wise choice. Eric looked towards the sky, obviously asking for God's consent, and then looked again at Martin.  
"You may propose. However, you MUST get her a gorgeous ring."  
Martin laughed, happier than he'd been in a long time. "I promise. I actually have the ring with me. Wanna see it?"  
Martin opened the box, and inside was the most beautiful diamond engagement ring Annie and Eric had ever seen. Martin had it sized, cut, everything, perfectly. There was no doubt that it would fit her finger, as Cinderella's glass slipper fit her foot. It had three large diamonds, with two light blue sapphires on the sides.  
"Martin, it's beautiful. How much did you spend on that?"  
"Uh...almost five thousand..."   
"Martin! We have to help you pay for some of that..."   
"No, really, Mrs. Camden. I can manage. Okay, I can't...how much would you be willing to pay?"  
"We'll pay for the whole thing. How's that?"  
"No, I want to pay for some of it. She's my fiance. How about three quarters?"  
"Alright, fair enough. Now get back to your children."  
"Okay, Mom." Martin laughed, giving each hugs as he ran back to his soon-to-be fiance and her family. He was given his daughter, now, as Ruthie was holding her son. Eric and Annie watched on, as Martin laughed, holding his daughter with love and care that showed he'd be an amazing husband, and father of many more children.  
"He's perfect, isn't he Eric?"  
"Yes, he is. He's a God-given angel for our daughter. Part of me is glad that she's a mother now."   
"Why?"  
"Maybe she'll lose her teenager attitude, and act like a full-fledged adult."  
Annie laughed. She and Eric walked back over to their grandchildren, and were each given one to hold, as Ruthie and Martin shared a passionate kiss. The only thought that flashed across Martin's mind was, _I love you, Ruthie Brewer. Ruthie, Abigail, and Keith. You're my family...my family. My children, my wife...I'll love you and any one else that joins us until the day I die...I love you...I love you, Ruthie.._

FRIDAY   
Martin walked in from school, climbing up the stairs and yelling at the same time.  
"Babe, I'm home! Ruth! Where are ya?"   
"In here, baby!"  
"Well...where's here?"   
"Ha ha, Martin, you know where here is!"  
Martin laughed, because he did know. He walked into his apartment, setting his backpack down and walking towards the kids' room. He stood and leaned against the door frame, as he watched Ruthie lay the twins down for a nap. He walked up behind her, slipping his arms across her waist, placing them under her shirt on her bare stomach.  
"Baby, you look so hot, even with two kids. I love you.."  
Martin's words were cut short, as Ruthie quickly turned around, and, giving a come-get-me smile, pulled him by his collar out of the babies room, shutting the door, and walking into Martin's room. Once inside, she shut Martin's door, and locked it.  
"What was the point of that?" Martin asked in a mocking voice, walking closer to her.   
"Well," she said, pressing herself against him, "our children are too young to see this."  
Martin smiled, as he leaned in to kiss her. The kiss became more passionate, as Martin began to lay her down on the bed. They broke their kiss for one moment, as Ruthie looked deep into Martin's eyes.  
"Do you have.."  
Martin quieted her as he kissed her, growing more passionate by the minute. He began to kiss her neck, as he pressed himself against her. Ruthie moaned with pleasure, as Martin began to lift her shirt off. Ruthie began to unbutton his dress shirt, as Martin pulled something necessary out of his pocket. Suddenly, however, Ruthie stopped him.  
"No, Martin, we can't do this. We know the consequences. We've learned the hard way, and I know we weren't safe, but that doesn't mean this time will be."  
Martin looked at her, and knew that she was right. "Ruthie, I want this."  
"I do too, but I...I...oh, forget it, Martin..."   
Ruthie grabbed a shirtless Martin, and pulled him on top of her. Ruthie began to moan, causing Martin to become even more aggressive, as he passionately kissed her chest, and the two made love for the second time.

"Martin, we need to check on the twins. How long has it been?"  
Martin laughed. "Well, I got home at 2:30. It is now...4:00. How's that?"  
Ruthie smiled, and began to get herself dressed. Martin watched, because tomorrow was the day when he would propose. He had everything planned, and knew that Ruthie would be surprised.

SATURDAY The Day of the Proposal

Ruthie was getting ready, but for what she didn't know. All she knew was that she was supposed to get dressed up, and Annie was going to watch the kids.  
Ruthie checked herself out in the mirror one last time, and walked out, finding her mother holding Abby and Keith in both arms. As Ruthie walked out, Annie looked up.   
"Wow, Ruthie! You look gorgeous! Still no idea where he's taking you, huh?"  
"No, do you know?"  
"Yes, but I'm not allowed to tell, and you'll be glad later that I didn't."   
Ruthie, confused by this comment, gave her children quick kisses, her mom a hug, and walked outside.  
Martin was waiting outside, holding the door to a white limo open. He almost fell over, when he saw Ruthie come out. She walked over to him, all the while thinking, _He looks so good in that suit. _  
Martin grabbed her in his arms. "You look...amazing, spectacular, hot, gorgeous, beautiful...there aren't enough words."  
Ruthie smiled, as she turned to model her dress. She was wearing a bright red strapless dress, cut just below the knee, and wearing silver strappy sandals with it.  
"Thank you, and you look pretty good yourself, sir."  
Martin acted as though he were an older gentleman, and with a very fake English accent, "Well, thank you, ma'am. You know," he said, pretending to smoke a pipe, "this suit actually belonged to my grandfather. Or was it my great-grandfather? Ah, anyway..."  
Ruthie playfully slapped him, causing Martin to laugh. He let Ruthie get inside, and followed her in.  
"Martin, are these windows tinted?"  
"Yeah, why? We already did that yesterday..."  
Ruthie smiled, and leaned in to kiss him.  
"So, will you tell me where we're going now?"  
"Nope. We're here anyway."

Martin helped Ruthie out, and she noticed that they were in the middle of a forest. She gave a quizzical look at Martin, who just laced his fingers in hers, and helped her through the trees.  
There was a clearing past all the trees, and Ruthie gasped as she saw the path up to a gazebo was covered in peach rose petals, which was her favorite flower.  
"Martin, it's beautiful."  
Martin walked her up into the gazebo, where candles were burning, and he stopped right in front of them.  
"Ruthie, I love you with all of my being. There has never been anyone that I have or could ever loved more. You are the woman I am supposed to spend my life with, and I'm sure of that. I want to have a family with you, I want to marry you, and I want to become part of your family. I feel like I already am."   
Martin kneeled on one knee, as Ruthie put a hand to her mouth, and began to tear up.  
"Ruthie, I already have permission from your parents to do this, but I would've done this regardless of what they said. Ruthie Camden, I love you, and I have but one question to ask. In two years, will you marry me?"  
Ruthie let out a small laugh, and let out one little word that meant the world to Martin.  
"Yes, I will."  
Martin slipped the ring on her finger, which fit perfectly. He stood up, and Ruthie grabbed him with such a force that it almost knocked both of them over. He began to kiss her, wrapping his arms around her, and whispered in her ear that he loved her, and always would.

Ruthie and Martin spent a time making out in the gazebo, and afterwards, Martin plugged in a stereo, and started the music. He turned, and held out his hand.  
"My dearest, will you dance with me?"   
Ruthie smiled, placing her hand in his, as he pulled her close, looking into her eyes the entire time.  
"Ruthie, why do you love me?"  
"You make me laugh, you adore me." At this, Martin laughed, yet at the same time, nodding, because he knew it was true. "You're perfect, you're everything to me, you're just a god-given angel, sent to me, and I'm so glad I found you."   
Martin smiled, making Ruthie's knees go weak.  
"Martin, do you think that we'll still make each other weak when we're 70?"   
Martin laughed. "You will always make me weak, baby. No one else on God's green Earth can make me feel this way. When I'm with you, I just melt. My knees go weak, I can barely stand up, and I feel like I'm going to fall. Then you smile, and I feel like I'm going to faint. Sometimes, I wonder how the hell I got so lucky to find you. Then, I think back to when we first met, and realize that our meeting had to be a work of the hand of God, and I thank Him every day for that."  
Ruthie flashed her dazzling smile, and Martin put his hand to his forehead, pretending that he was going to faint. Ruthie laughed, and kissed him again, as the music softly played in the background. Ruthie pulled away, and stretched her arms around his neck, looking at her ring behind his back. _Mr. and Mrs. Martin Brewer...Ruthie Brewer...Ruthie Ryann Brewer...I'm going to be a married woman at the age of 18...oh God..18!..I have to be crazy...I can't get married at 18..I have twins and college to be thinking about.._  
"Martin, maybe this isn't such a good idea."  
"What? Me slipping my hands down your back?" he said, flashing a smile.  
Ruthie realized how low his hands were, and laughed.  
"No, us getting married."  
Martin pulled away. "What?"  
"Martin, I'm going to be 18 years old. I have twins, and college, and my wacky family to worry about. How am I going to juggle all of that?"  
Martin looked at her, with a look in his eyes, that caused Ruthie to have to sit down. Every time he looked at her that way, she couldn't stand up. She became dizzy, and felt her knees give out.  
Martin sat down beside her, and sighed. "I was afraid of this. Ruthie, it's gonna be hard the first few months, but we're already living like a married couple. Just without the big house, and your parents right next door, but we rarely even ask them for help. You've learned a lot with all your older siblings living with you. We're going to make it." Martin took Ruthie's hands in his, and turned to her. "Ruthie, I'm not going to let anything happen to our family. I'm going to get us through any troubles that come our way. You'll go to college, I'll go to college, our kids will go to college. Don't worry, okay? I love you with all my heart, so believe me when I tell you that everything will be fine, alright?"  
Ruthie felt comforted, and couldn't believe that she'd doubted him.  
Martin looked at his watch. "We need to go, if we're going to put up with your family tonight."  
Ruthie laughed, as Martin pulled her up. He helped her back into the limo, and the two made out the whole way home.

After putting up with the family, Ruthie and Martin walked into their apartment. Martin began to take off his tie, until Ruthie grabbed him by the tie.  
"Leave it on, babe," Ruthie said, pulling him by the tie into the bedroom. Five minutes later, Lucy walked up, yelling for the two of them. Ruthie and Martin quickly made themselves look innocent, and ran into the living room. Lucy knew what had been going on, and looked at the two of them.   
"I'm not stupid, you two. I thought you said you were going to wait until you were married. I won't tell Mom and Dad, but you're using.."  
"Yeah, don't worry. What'd you need?" Martin asked, glad he was getting off the hook.  
"Just making sure you guys are okay. We'll let the babies sleep in the house tonight," Lucy said, eyeing the two of them. They caught the message, gave a quick thank you, locked the door, and headed back to the bedroom. The next morning, Ruthie woke up, and rolled over, noticing that Martin was awake also.  
"Hey, baby. I've been staring at you for hours."  
"On top or under the covers?"  
Martin gave a guilty smile, and Ruthie laughed. Ruthie got up, and wrapped a robe around her.  
"Well, this is a nice thing to wake up to," Martin said. "Ya know, I don't think you've actually used the bed that was meant for you."  
"I haven't needed to, yet," Ruthie said, laughing as she did. Martin got in the shower, and Ruthie got ready to start her first day as an engaged woman.


	11. Chap 11 Break Ins and Birthdays

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

"Say 'da-da.' Keith, can you say 'da-da?' Yes, you can. C'mon, say it, say it!"  
Ruthie walked in from school, laughing when she heard Martin using his very odd, and in her opinion, scary, baby voice.   
Martin quickly turned around, and laughed with her. "Can you say da-da, Ruthie?"  
"No, but I can say come here, big boy."  
Martin smiled, as Ruthie sat down in his lap. After a brief, well, okay, long kiss, Ruthie pulled away, and looked down at her children in their playpen.  
"Still can't get them to talk, huh?"  
"Nope, they refuse. I think they just like to aggravate us."  
Ruthie laughed. "Why would they want to do that? They're just little babies."  
"Da-da."   
Ruthie gasped, as Martin looked down.  
"Da-da."   
"Which one is it? Which one's talking?"  
"Babe, I think both of them are," Martin answered, looking at Ruthie with wide eyes.  
"Well, you hold one, and I'll hold the other. We'll just see who talks."  
Martin laughed, and then realized Ruthie was serious.  
Martin grabbed his daughter, and walked to another side of the room.  
"Da-da!"  
"Oh my God! Martin, Keith's talking!"  
"Da-da!"  
"Well, apparently he and Abby are in a contest to see who can get the most attention. When I learned that twins could be identical, I didn't think they'd be this identical."  
Ruthie and Martin spent too long baby-talking their children, laughing and carrying on when their children spoke. So, we won't get into all of that. It's a boring part of the story.

Martin had gone out to find a movie for he and Ruthie to watch that night, so Ruthie was breast-feeding Abby. She heard the door, and yelled out.  
"Martin? Baby, that you?"  
There wasn't an answer, and Ruthie began to become nervous.  
"Martin?"   
Ruthie laid Abigail in her crib, and walked out of the babies room.  
"Martin?"  
Ruthie heard something crash in the kitchen, and ran back into the babies room. She locked the door, and picked up the phone, dialing 9-1-1.  
"9-1-1 emergency response."  
"Please help me, I think someone's in my apartment. I have two seven month twins. My fiance is out, I'm alone, and I'm 17."  
"Have you heard anyone in the house?"   
"Yeah, I yelled for my fiance when I heard the door, thinking he was home, and nobody answered. Then I heard a crash in the kitchen."  
"Address, please?"  
Ruthie heard someone banging on the door, causing her to scream and begin to cry. The banging persisted, and Ruthie heard a man yell for her to open the door. _Where the hell is Martin? Where's my family? _  
"Ma'am, can you tell me what your address is?"  
"Someone's banging on the door. My babies are in here, please...I don't know what to do."  
Ruthie screamed as the door was forced open, and Ruthie was hit in the head. The last thing she heard was her children crying in the background, and Martin walking in the door. She passed out, as she heard Martin yelling her name.

Martin walked in, where he heard a man yelling at someone. Martin dropped the movie, and ran towards the sound. It brought him to the bedroom, where he saw a man dressed in black, beating Ruthie and, no...not his...  
Martin yelled at the man, using a few choice words. He took a swing at him, causing him to fall to the floor.  
Martin took off the ski mask, and was appalled at who was staring him in the face.  
"Vincent?"

"Martin, what are you doing with MY children?"  
Martin's breath caught, and drew his attention elsewhere. _Did she lie to me? Are they not my children? No, they have to be mine. Oh god...what if they're really his? _He looked down, and spotted Ruthie on the floor, still unconscious and bloody. Martin gave a death glare towards Vincent, and Vincent understood. He didn't dare move from where he was.  
"Ruthie, baby, wake up. We need to talk." Martin's anger was overpowering him. He couldn't tell who he was more angry at, Vincent, who was beating up his wife and would've taken his children...his children...what if they weren't? 

Five minutes later, Ruthie regained consciousness. "Martin? Vincent? Ow, Martin, my side hurts."   
"Ruthie, are these little guys mine or Vincent's? Vincent is sure that they're his. What are you? Some kind of player? Huh? TELL ME, RUTHIE CAMDEN. I SWEAR, IF YOU DON'T START TALKING RIGHT NOW..."   
Ruthie looked at Vincent, and laughed. "Martin, Vincent and I never even had sex."  
Martin looked over at Vincent, who was looking away. Martin grabbed him by the neck, and put him in a chokehold against the wall.  
"You lied to me? What, did you think my wife was dead or somethin? Were you hoping that she was so you could take off with MY kids out of MY apartment? What the hell is wrong with you, man? First, Mac, and now you? You've got some issues. Are they mine or yours?"  
"Yours," Vincent choked out.  
Martin threw him against the other wall, and Ruthie yelled at him. "Martin, you're not a violent person. I'll call Kevin, and we'll get him over here, alright?"  
"Ruthie, shut up."  
Ruthie looked up at Martin, whose face went from anger to remorse.  
"Geez, Ruthie, I'm sorry. I'm just..."   
"Don't talk to me. Don't even try and save yourself. You leave me and my children alone. I'm calling Kevin, he's picking up Vincent, and then I'm moving back into the house. You've become so damn violent and so overpowering that it's sickening. What, is it just because of your sex life, that we're not even supposed to be having?"  
Ruthie then realized that Vincent was still in the room, and walked out, slamming Martin's bedroom door. Martin heard Ruthie talking to Kevin, and turned back to Vincent.  
"She's your wife?"  
"Almost, we're supposed to be getting married in about a year and a half, but right now, she's pretty mad at me."  
"Martin, it'll blow over. Don't you think it's a bit young for her to get married at 18?"  
Martin looked at Vincent, and snickered. "Giving me counseling won't get you out of what you've done. Vincent, you BEAT her. You were ready to TAKE my children out of my house. You knocked her out. If she had died, I would've killed you. What's going through your head?"  
"We broke up because I'd heard about her and Mac hooking up. Then, I found out it was a rape, so I wanted to talk to her. I walked up to the house, and saw a pregnant Ruthie walking around through the window. I was so scared, I just felt really uncomfortable. I thought it was Mac's, or they were Mac's. Then, I found out they were yours. I was so mad that she'd slept with you behind my back. So, I was about ready to just hurt her. My anger got the best of me, I guess."   
Kevin walked into the room, and without a word, slapped the handcuffs on Vincent, and Captain Michaels wasn't far behind.   
"Vincent, you beat my sister-in-law. You attempted a kidnapping. You are in a WHOLE load of trouble, my friend."   
Kevin pushed Vincent out the door, and Vincent, Kevin, and Captain Michaels were gone. Martin walked to his bedroom door, where he heard Ruthie inside, crying. Martin pushed the door open, walking in silently.  
"Baby? Can we talk?"  
Ruthie sat up. "Martin, I don't care that you told me to shut up. I've done that, we all have. What bothers me is that you've become really violent lately. Not towards me, but towards anybody that does anything to me that you don't approve of. What's going on?"   
Martin looked at her. "My dad has to stay in Iraq for another four months, and then he's going out to a post in Ohio to keep watch for at least two years."  
"Martin, that's great! He'll be in the states, and you'll be able to fly to..."   
"Ruthie, when I told him about us, the kids, and our impending marraige, he was not happy with me at all. I'm really not looking forward to seeing him. I just...he doesn't wanna see his grandchildren."  
Ruthie walked up to Martin.  
"Martin, my parents were mad too, believe me. I know that you're dad will grow to accept it. The last time you talked to him, he was in Iraq in a scary situation, and was really stressed out. He'll be okay, nobody could resist our little guys."  
Martin smiled, and looked Ruthie in the eye. "I'm really sorry, baby. I was just really stressed and excited and anxious all at the same time. I just...I hoped he'd be able to come out for the wedding, ya know? If he's in Ohio for two years, we won't be able to do that."  
Ruthie kissed Martin, and Martin kissed her back. The kiss became deeper, and Martin walked over to the door, locking it, while kissing Ruthie at the same time. This had happened many times before, so the way to the door from that spot was merely a robotic movement. Martin laid her on the bed, rubbing his hands all through her hair, as he kissed her deeply.  
"Martin, I love you."

"Babe, where's the diaper bag?"  
"Uh...oh! Under the dressing table in there!"  
"I don't see it!"  
Ruthie sighed. "Well, look a little harder."  
Ruthie ran into the babies room, where she saw Martin bent over, looking for it in the closet. Ruthie laughed, walking up behind him and slapping his butt.  
"Ouch! Baby!"  
Martin laughed, turning around, with a peach rose in his mouth. He took it out, handing it to her.   
"This is for you, my dear."  
He handed the rose to her, and Ruthie smiled. "Wow, I'm flattered. Such a gentleman as yourself, actually remembering my favorite flower. I'm impressed."   
Martin pretended that he'd been stabbed in the heart.  
"Oh, how can you say that? I never have, never will, forget anything about you."  
Martin put his arm around her waist, pulling her right up against him. Ruthie inhaled his cologne, and snuggled into his chest.  
"I love you. Can you believe it? Our babies are one year olds. Seems like yesterday, we were worried that we only had a son."  
Martin kissed her hair, remembering that day. "That was the day I asked your parents if I could propose, actually."   
"You asked them then?"  
"Yeah. Why, is that bad?"  
"I'd been in labor, and just given birth to your children, and you were off talking to my parents about something as trivial as a proposal?" Ruthie asked, mockingly.  
Martin laughed. "Sorry. I should've paid more attention. Forgive me?"   
"Yes."  
"Hmm...seems like a word...oh, wait. We can't talk about the pro...I mean the engage...I mean, the..."   
"Martin..."  
"Let's see..what could we call it? Well, nope..."  
"Martin..."  
"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"  
Ruthie lit up a smile, and Martin noticed her eyes twinkle. "Shut up and kiss me, you fool."  
Martin smiled, as he leaned in, and their lips met. He kissed her with a passion and tenderness that made Ruthie's knees go weak.  
"Mommy! Daddy! Party! Party!"  
Ruthie parted the sea, and laughed. "Well, Ab's ready to go. Where's Keith?"  
"Keith?" Martin yelled, and laughed when he found him in Martin's bedroom.  
"What're you doin' in Daddy's bedroom?"  
Keith smiled, which almost mirrored Martin's. Ruthie walked in, as Keith and Martin both smiled up at her. It took her breath away how much Keith and Martin looked alike. Keith's was a little golden-haired rascal, and he was only one. Abby stumbled in behind Ruthie, and Ruthie laughed as she tackled Martin.   
"Daddy! Party! Party!"  
"My turn!" Ruthie yelled, jumping on top of Martin, kissing him. "We're gonna get to see Grandpa and Grandma Camden, Uncle Matt, Aunt Sarah, Tyler, Uncle Carlos, Aunt Mary, Charlie, Uncle Kevin and Uncle Ben, Aunt Lucy, Savannah, Uncle Simon, Cecilia..."  
"Wait, they're dating again?"  
"Yeah. Martin, don't you remember? I told you last night."  
Martin laughed, and looked down. "Yeah, last night may not have been the best night to tell me. You seduced me."  
Ruthie smiled. "Well, they're dating again, finally. Let's see," Ruthie said, turning her attention back to her daughter.  
"You'll get to see Uncle Simon, Cecilia, Uncle Sam, Uncle David, and...wait, Martin...did I leave anybody out?"  
Martin went through her list in his head, pointing with his finger in the air as he went through all the names. After about a minute and a half, he threw his hands in the air.  
"Why is your family so freakin' big?"  
Ruthie laughed. "We need to get over to the house. Keith!"  
Martin heard a little baby laugh from the room down the hall. He laughed, walking towards the sound. He walked back by the doorway, carrying a red-faced, laughing Keith upside down. Ruthie grabbed Abby, laughing as she did, and walked out the door.


	12. Just a Quick Note

Urbanluver has a few things that she would liker her readers to know...

Just wanted to let you in on a few things.  
-Simon and Cecilia are now dating again, and Simon is still a virgin in this story. (If only in the show, right?...)  
-A big surprise will come within the next couple chapters. Now, I'm not going to tell you what it is, but I am going to tell you that it will be a must-read.  
-Ruthie is 18, and will be graduating soon. I may put her graduation in, but I don't know if I'll be able to fit it in with the big surprise.

Again, if you haven't already told me, I want to know how old my readers are, just out of curiosity.

If you read this, but don't reply or anything, that's fine. I do the same sometimes. However, the length of time between chapters sometimes depends on how many people have read the latest one. I just don't like leaving anyone behind, so I hope that I'm not doing that with anyone.

Hope that you're enjoying this. The surprise will be soon, the wedding will be soon, and the party will actually be next chapter. At the end of next chapter is where I hope to hint the next surprise.

Thankz to all of you for reading


	13. Chap 12 Round Two

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

Martin and Ruthie made their way to the main house, where, judging by the cars, some members of the family had already arrived.  
"Ready, guys?"  
Keith and Abby were each holding a hand, Keith holding his father's, and Abby hanging onto Ruthie. They began to jump up and down, yelling, "Party! Party! Party!"  
Ruthie and Martin laughed, as Martin slipped his free arm around her waist, walking with her to the door.  
"Anybody home? We're here to sell a magazine subscription...anyone interested?" Martin yelled.  
Eric was the first to come to the door. "Hey, so glad you could come all this way to the birthday party to end all birthday parties."  
Ruthie laughed. "Hi, Dad," she said, giving him a hug. Martin and Eric shook hands, and the rest of the family came to greet the stars of the show.  
"Ruthie, hi!" Matt was the first, who was followed by Sarah, who was carrying their son, Tyler Lee Camden.  
"Matt, he's so cute! Wow, he looks just like you, Sarah!" Ruthie said, grabbing Tyler, holding him. "His birthday isn't too far away, either!"   
"Yeah. We decided that since everyone is in town this weekend, we'll just celebrate it along with Keith and Abby's birthday. Where are they, by the way?" Sarah asked.  
"Keith! Abby! Guys, come into the living room!" Annie yelled.  
Keith and Abby were carried in by Kevin and Lucy, as Savannah toddled behind.  
"Hi, Savannah. How are you, hon?" Martin bent down, giving Savannah a hug. Savannah was already two, and had blonde curly hair, and was wearing a pink flowered dress, with cute little pink dress shoes, and had a pink bow in her hair.  
"I love your bow, Anna." (Anna is short for Savannah, by the way.)   
"Anna, can you say thank you?" Lucy said with a wink towards Martin.  
"Thank you, Uncle Martin."  
Martin smiled. "You're welcome."

"Oh my gosh! Ruthie, they're adorable!" Mary yelled, walking in with Carlos and Charlie close behind.  
Keith and Abby gave Carlos and Mary a hug, as the family talked about everyone's children.  
"So, where's everyone else?" Ruthie asked her mother.  
"Uh, well, Simon and Cecilia are about ten minutes away, and Ben went to pick up Sam and David. They were at a friend's house."  
"Mom? Dad? Where..oh! Ruthie!" Simon yelled, walking in. Cecilia walked in, shared an awkward greeting with Martin, and said hi to the rest of the family. Ben walked in not too long after, with Sam and David.

"So, Ruthie. What's it like being a mom?" Lucy asked.  
"Oh, it's exhausting. Yeah, I'm thinking about quitting."  
Martin laughed, putting his arm around Ruthie. Simon noticed Ruthie grab his hand with her left.   
"Are you wearing a ring?"  
"Yeah. Didn't Mom and Dad tell you? We're engaged."  
"Yeah. This is the face of someone in the know," Simon joked.  
Ruthie laughed. "He proposed to me..actually, it was almost a year ago."   
"What?" Matt, Mary, and Simon yelled.  
"That means you were only 16. You let him?" Matt asked.  
"They're in love, and they're going to get married. We figured that them getting engaged would just be a little something for the two of them. Did you see her ring?" Annie asked.  
Ruthie showed her ring off to the women that hadn't seen it yet, and kissed Martin as Keith and Abby jumped up into their parent's lap.  
Keith ended up in Martin's lap, and Abby in Ruthie's.  
"Wow. Martin, Keith looks just like you," Ben said, as the family agreed with him. Annie got up to go get the cake, and Lucy noted how much Abby looked like her mother.  
"Ruthie, what's it like to have a daughter for a mirror?"  
Ruthie laughed. "Interesting, to say the least."  
"Happy birthday to you..."  
Annie walked in, carrying a large cake with three names on it. There was a large number one candle on the cake, and the entire family began to join in.  
"Happy birthday dear...Abby, Keith, and Tyler..."   
The family finished the song in a gorgeous harmony, and cake was eaten.

Presents were opened, Keith received many baseball-associated presents, Abby was given all sorts of dresses and bows, and Tyler given many different items of one-year-old interest.   
"We better get goin'. These two look tired," Ruthie said, picking a sleeping Abby up off the couch.  
"Yeah, alright. I'll go tell your parents." Martin picked Keith up, and walked into the kitchen, where Annie and Eric were talking with the rest of the family, helping clean the dishes.  
"Ruth and I are gonna go, the kids are tired."  
Annie gave a silent nod, kissing her grandson's forehead, and giving a quick peck on the cheek to Martin. "Bye," she whispered, so as not to wake Keith up.  
Martin walked back to the apartment, where Ruthie was putting Abby in her crib. Martin put Keith in his bed, and walked outside, with Ruthie following, shutting the door silently.  
"One year, baby. One year ago today, you were lyin' in a bed, scared to death for your life, and screamin' and carryin' on, bringing two little babies into this world."  
Ruthie gave Martin a hug. "They sure as hell didn't feel little."  
Martin laughed, and took her hand. "I think we should spend a night together, remembering our lovely times so far."  
"Just a minute, I gotta use the bathroom, alright? Freshen up a bit, so that I'm appealing."  
Martin laughed. "You look gorgeous no matter what. However, because tonight is so special, I'll let you try and look better than perfection."  
Ruthie kissed Martin, and went into the bathroom.

TEN MINUTES LATER

"No! Please, God, no! What the hell am I gonna do? How am I gonna tell Martin? My family...please, no..."

Chapter 33

Last time on 7th Heaven "No! Please, God, no! What the hell am I gonna do? How am I gonna tell Martin? My family...please, no..." "Ruthie, baby, you still in there?"  
Ruthie quickly dried her tears. "Yeah."  
Martin noticed the wave in her voice, and opened the door, which Ruthie had forgotten to lock.  
Ruthie, not knowing the door was unlocked, didn't have time to hide what she'd been doing. Once Martin walked in, it was too late.  
"Ruthie, are you...oh my god, is that a pregnancy test?"

"Yeah. I've been feeling a little off lately, and I just had a feeling. Damn women's intuition."  
"Ruth, is it...are you...?"   
"It's positive. Again."  
Martin's eyes filled with joy. "You're pregnant again? Ruthie, this is great, we're starting our family!"  
Martin went to hug Ruthie, who just pushed him off.  
"Martin, we're not even married yet. My parents don't know that we've been having sex, so in their minds, there's no way that I'll be pregnant until I'm married."   
Martin's eyes became solemn. "I didn't even think about that. Geez, your parents are going to kill me."  
"Why? I wanted it just as much as you, if not more."  
Martin briefly smiled, and then, remembering their situation, looked at Ruthie, whose eyes were filled with tears.  
"Martin, if we were married, I'd be overjoyed. I've let my parents down, I've let everyone down. I promised them that this wouldn't happen until after the wedding."  
"Wait, doesn't Lucy know that we've been "active?"  
"Yeah, why? We can't tell her! She has a mouth the same size as Texas."  
"No, Texas is smaller. We need to tell someone, though, Ruth. Wait, maybe it's a false positive. Do you have another test?"  
"Yeah. How long until the wedding?"  
"Uh...if we're getting married in August, then...eight months. Wow, is that right? Eight months, Ruth. You won't be showing too bad by then."  
Ruthie sent a death glare his way, which showed him to get out of the bathroom or die. Martin shut the door, and Ruthie took another test. "Martin!"   
Martin heard Ruthie yell, and ran towards the bathroom.  
"What's it say, babe?"  
Ruthie laid her head back against the wall. "I'm pregnant. Oh happy day."  
Martin leaned against the door frame, shutting his eyes, and ran his hand through his hair.   
"What time is it?" Martin asked.  
Ruthie looked up at the clock. "11:15. We can't tell them now!"  
"Ruthie, we need to tell them. If we tell them now, they'll be able to sleep on it."  
Ruthie looked at him like he was crazy. "You really think that my parents are going to sleep any?"  
"Ruthie, let's go."  
"Martin, what are we going to do with the kids?"  
Martin looked at her. "I'll go find Lucy, you find Mom and Dad. Alright?"  
Ruthie nodded, and she and Martin went into the house. "Lucy!"   
Martin yelled, walking in the front door. Lucy yelled back, and Martin found her in the kitchen.  
"Hey, Martin. What's up?"   
"Luce, would you mind doing a favor? Can you go over to the apartment and watch the kids? They're sleeping, so I don't think anything will happen, but Ruthie and I need to talk to your parents."   
Lucy looked down at her watch. "You need to talk to them now?"  
Martin sighed. "Lucy, Ruthie's pregnant."   
Lucy's face turned from questioning to shock. "Martin, you were using.."  
"Yeah, I was. Ruthie was on the pill, too. You'd think the odds would be for us."  
"I'll go watch them. Good luck."  
Martin let out a worried laugh. "I'm sure as hell gonna need it. Thanks, Lucy."  
Lucy smiled, and walked out the door.  
Martin turned around, and saw Ruthie walking towards the living room, with her parents following behind.  
"Here we go, round two," Martin whispered to himself under his breath. 

"Mom, Dad, you should sit."  
Eric and Annie sat down on the couch, as Martin and Ruthie sat across from on the love seat.  
"Ruthie and I need to talk to you."  
"So, 11:30 at night is the best time to do this?"  
"Dad, we really need to let you know what's going on. This is hard to tell you guys, so I'm just gonna talk."  
"Ruthie, what's wrong? You're scaring us," Annie said, with worry.  
"Mom, we're pregnant." 

"Oh, this is great! You're going to have another baby! Why is this bad news?" Annie yelled, smiling along with her husband.  
Ruthie and Martin exchanged glances. "You're not mad? I'm PREGNANT, meaning that Martin and I have been having sex."  
"Yeah, Lucy told us about that," Eric said, with a look.  
"Told you her mouth was bigger than Texas," Martin whispered in Ruthie's ear.  
Ruthie smiled, and looked back at her parents. "Why aren't you mad? I still can't comprehend this."  
"Ruthie, you two are getting married. You're in love, we don't have any doubts about the two of you. We know that you'll be together until death. I just worry about you being pregnant so soon after having the twins."  
Ruthie looked at her parents. She stood up, and felt her father's forehead. "Are you feeling okay?"  
Eric laughed. "Ruthie, it's okay. We're happy for you two. We just need to know if you want to push the wedding forward, or have it in eight months. Just remember, we need to get invitations out, so we need to know as soon as possible."   
Ruthie looked back at Martin, and realized that she knew him all too well, since she knew exactly what he wanted, just by looking at his eyes.  
"Can we have it in May?"  
"Of course. Now, you two go home. Wait...who's with your kids?"  
"Oh, Lucy's over there with them."  
Annie smiled. "She'll take any excuse to be near those two. She's a great aunt."   
"She's a great sister-in-law, too," Martin said, smiling.  
Ruthie looked up at him, and smiled. "We better go, Martin. Bye, Mom. Bye, Dad. Thank you so much for being understanding."  
Annie grinned. "Just make sure there aren't any complications with this one. How far along do you think you are?"  
"Uh, I think I'm around four weeks...now sure, though."  
"Well, good luck, you two. Sleep tight."   
Martin waved a goodbye, slipping his arm around her waist, pulling her close.  
"Alright, let's get back to that damn women's intuition...girl or boy?"  
Ruthie laughed. "I don't know."  
"Ruthie...even if it's a girl, I'll be happy."  
"Martin, what if we don't find out this time?"   
"What? You mean, not learn the sex of the baby?"   
"Yeah. I think that'd be cool. Not knowing whether we'll have a second daughter or second son. I think it'd be interesting to know right when it comes into the world."  
"Alright. This time, no knowledge. How do we pick names?"  
"Pick a boy, pick a girl...whichever it is, we use. Am I really marrying that big of a loser?"  
Martin laughed, as they stopped in front of the door into their apartment. He placed his hand on her stomach.   
"We're having a baby. Another baby. You're going to be married in three months, a mother of three in roughly eight months, and you'll be 18. You're an amazing woman."  
Martin took her hands in his, and leaned in, kissing her.  
Ruthie pulled back. "I love you, Martin Brewer."  
"I love you back, Ruthie Brewer."


	14. Chap 13 Getting Married Today

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

"Ruthie! Mom's here, with Lucy! You ready, babe?"  
Ruthie slipped on a pair of her old maternity jeans, and a shirt over her ever-so-slightly bulging belly, and headed out of her bedroom.   
"Yeah, I'm comin'!"  
Ruthie walked into the living room, where Martin was standing. She walked up to him and planned on just giving him a quick kiss on the cheek. However, Martin wanted more. He put his arm around her back, pulling her closer, all the while looking in her eyes. He brought his mouth to hers, and passionately kissed her.  
"Bye, baby. I love you. Are you sure you're gonna be okay with the kids?"  
"Ruthie," Martin said with a laugh. "I'm their father. I think I'll be okay. Love you, too. Now go! Get a beautiful wedding dress. One that'll make me faint at the altar, and make a fool of myself, more so than I will when I screw up my vows or say the wrong name."   
"Martin, you really need to stop watching my Friends DVDs."   
Martin laughed, and kissed Ruthie again. "I love you so much, babe."  
Martin bent down until he was level with her stomach. "I love you, too, baby."  
Ruthie smiled, kissing Martin on the nose, telling him goodbye one more time, and ran into the garage, getting into the car, driving off with her mother and Lucy, of course.

"Oh my gosh, Ruthie! You look beautiful!"  
Ruthie smiled as she walked out, wearing a white satin dress.  
The dress was floor-length, with a slight train behind it. She was wearing white satin slippers with it, that almost looked like ballet slippers. The dress fitted her stomach perfectly, making it slimmer, yet still pregnant-looking. Ruthie had asked that her dress show that off, as she saw no harm in showing the world that she and her husband were having more children.  
Just above her breasts, the dress went to a see-through mesh material, with diamonds every few inches apart, that caught just enough light to show off her perfectly tanned skin. The back was cut low, right where her ribs were on her front. The dress had one-inch straps over her shoulders, because Ruthie still had swimming suit lines on her shoulders from the summer.  
"Ruthie, that's it. That's the one."  
"I know. It's gorgeous." Ruthie walked over to the mirror to admire herself, just imagining Martin's look when she walked down the aisle in what was now less than a month.  
"I absolutely love it. It's comfortable, it fits perfectly, I just love it! Mom, please, let's hurry and buy it before someone else rips it off me."  
Annie laughed, and helped Ruthie off the platform, and they went to pay for her dress.

"Martin! Where are you? I'm home!" Ruthie threw her keys down on the kitchen counter, as her children came to greet her, running out of their room.  
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"  
Ruthie almost fell over as her children took their usual welcome-home-let's-give-you-a-hug place. Abby on the left leg, Keith on the right. Ruthie laughed, and walked as best she could into the kids' room.  
"Hey, sweetie. Were they good?"  
Martin stood up, from where he'd been cleaning up numerous toys. "Yep, told you I could handle them."  
Martin leaned in and kissed Ruthie, as Keith and Abby covered their eyes with their hands, yelling, "Ew!"  
Martin and Ruthie pulled away, laughing.   
"Hey babe, do you have your bridesmaids picked out?"   
"Yeah, Lucy is my Maid of Honor, and Mary and Alyssa (remember Ruthie's friend?) are my bridesmaids. Why? You haven't picked out your groomsmen, have you?"  
"Ruthie, I have an idea of who I want. I just haven't..."  
"Martin! We're getting married in less than a month! Who?"  
"I want Matt to be my best man, and Simon, Sam, and David to be my groomsmen. How's that?"  
"Well, have you asked them?"   
"Uh...no.."  
"Martin Brewer! Ask them so that our wedding party is ready. By the way, Simon's walking me down the aisle, since Dad's doing our wedding."  
Martin smiled. "Alright, babe. Keith is the ringbearer, and Abby's the flowergirl. Now, have we got it all figured out?"  
"Yep. Now, let's call them!"  
Ruthie grabbed Martin by the wrist, and handed him the phone, so that he could call Matt and Simon. They both agreed to do it, and Martin, Ruthie, Keith, and Abby went to the big house to ask Eric and Annie about Sam and David. Whew, that's a lot of names.

"We're getting married tomorrow. Can you believe it? Three years ago, we weren't even together. I never would've thought that I ever would've loved you this much," Martin whispered.  
Ruthie and Martin had taken the day to spend time with each other, as it would be their last day as an engaged couple. Martin had taken her to the spot where he'd proposed to her. They were lying on a blanket, with their fingers laced together, looking up into the stars, (it's at night) and talking to each other about their impending wedding.  
"I know. A year and a half ago, one night brought us together for the rest of our lives. Seems like yesterday," Ruthie said.  
"Well, I think something would've happened between us, regardless if we didn't do it that one night."  
"Really? You think?" Ruthie asked, mocking him.  
"Well...not often," Martin said, looking at her.  
Ruthie laughed, but was quieted as she saw how Martin was looking at her.  
"Martin? What? Something in my teeth?" Ruthie began to search through her purse for a mirror, but Martin pulled her back.  
"I love you..." Martin said before kissing her. He brought her close, closing his eyes and kissing her with all the love, passion, lust, and want that he felt for her. Ruthie kissed him back, but stopped when he tried to roll on top of her.  
"Babe! You can't get on top, I'm pregnant!"  
Martin laughed. "Forgot about that. Okay, let's try again."  
He pulled her towards him, smashing his lips against hers. "I...love...you..." Ruthie said, in between the kisses Martin was placing all over her body.  
Martin pulled her into a sitting position, as he continued to heavily kiss her. He laced his legs in hers, and grabbed for her shirt. Ruthie did the same, grabbing for his shirt, and as Ruthie's was taken off, Martin stopped, looking at her stomach.  
"You look even hotter when you're pregnant," Martin said, trying to catch  
a breath.  
Ruthie laughed. "You mean I should just be pregnant all the time? If you and I keep doing this stuff, believe me, that won't be a problem."  
Martin laughed, and pulled her back to him. "Ruthie! We need to go!" Annie yelled.  
_I'm getting married today. Mr. and Mrs. Martin Brewer. I'm getting married... _  
Ruthie finished dressing, and ran into the garage. She got into the car, and Annie, Mary, Lucy, Ruthie, and Abby headed off to get their hair and makeup done. For today was the day, that the last Camden daughter was getting married.

The women arrived at the hotel, where they were getting their hair and makeup done.  
"Hi. We have hair and makeup reservations under the name Annie Camden," Annie explained to the receptionist.   
"Okay, now what's this for?"  
"My youngest daughter is getting married today," Annie gushed.   
"Congratulations! Which one of you ladies is it?"   
Ruthie raised her hand, as she picked Abby up. The receptionist eyed her, and Ruthie gave an explanation, which was almost memorized from giving it so many times in the past.  
"This is Abby, my daughter. She's my fiance's daughter, and no, we're not getting married just because of that. We're in love. Abby is a twin, and her twin brother is named Keith. I had them when I was sixteen. I am again pregnant, with my fiance's child."  
The receptionist almost looked guilty for eyeing Ruthie the way she did. Ruthie noticed this, and spoke some more.  
"I didn't mean to offend you. I've just given that speech so many times that I know it like the back of my hand."  
The receptionist smiled. "Well, congratulations. How many months along are you?"  
"I'm five months with this one."  
"Congratulations! Girl or boy?"  
"We're not going to find out. We found out with the twins, and just thought it'd be cool if we didn't find out with this one. We want it to be a surprise."  
"Camden?"   
The Camden women stood up, as Ruthie said goodbye to the receptionist, and walked to the salon to become as gorgeous as they could for Ruthie's special day. EARLIER THAT MORNING  
"Martin, I've gotta go. Mom's waiting. I love you."   
Ruthie kissed a half-asleep Martin on the cheek, and headed out the door.  
As soon as Martin heard the door shut, he jumped out of bed, looking out the window, watching as the car drove away.  
When the car had turned the corner, Martin ran over to the main house.   
"Kevin! Are you here?"  
Kevin ran down the stairs, after hearing Martin yell at him.  
"Hey, man! How do ya feel? You're getting married today."  
Martin grinned, "I feel great! I'm marrying the woman of my dreams today! How could I not feel great? Look, I wanted to ask you about helping me do something for Ruthie..."

"How do you want your hair done?"  
"I want it left down, and Martin likes it curly, so I want it curly. I just want it to look natural, and gorgeous."  
"Well, believe me, hon, for your wedding day, we won't let you look anything less than that."  
Ruthie and her hairstylist carried on conversations for a while, as the rest of the women had their hair done as well. Ruthie stole glances at Abby every once in a while, who was sitting in her chair. It amazed Ruthie how much Abby looked like she did at that age. The twins were a year and a half old now, and walking and talking up a storm. Abby had the same hair that Ruthie did, brown and curly. Abby's was being left down as well, and would wear a diamond pin to hold it back from her eyes during the wedding.  
"Okay, what do you think, hon?"  
Ruthie looked in the mirror, and was amazed at how good her hair looked. It still had her natural curl, with more flare and class than normal. Julia (her hairstylist) had tucked a peach rose behind her left ear, and it was just the right shade of peach to compliment her eyes, hair, and skin.  
"It's amazing! I love it! Thank you so much!"  
Julia smiled, and pointed Ruthie to where she could go to get her makeup and nails done.  
"Mom, can you watch Abby?"  
"Sure, honey. I'll bring her to you when we're done."  
"Thanks. I'll be right back, Abby."  
"Okay, Mommy. I love you."   
"Love you, too, Ab." "Wow, you really wanna do that?"  
"Yeah, I know she'd love it. I just need you to help me set it up."  
"Okay, I'd love to help! I must ask...why'd you pick me to help you?"  
"Because Dad's picking up the guys at the airport, and you're the only one home that can keep a secret."  
Kevin laughed, as Savannah toddled downstairs.  
(Savannah didn't go with the other women because she's not in the wedding party. I know it sounds mean, but I didn't even think about her when I was writing out the wedding party.)  
"Daddy, where's my dress? Mommy said it was in your room, but I can't find it."  
Kevin excused himself from Martin, and went up to help Savannah find her dress. The Camden women had their hair, makeup, and nails done, and headed to the hotel, where the wedding was taking place, to get ready for the wedding. The men of the family were also heading to the hotel, so, there were about fifty cars, of the same family, heading to the same hotel.

"Kevin! Where's my tie?"  
Martin was freaking out, because he couldn't find his tie. Martin was getting nervous. Not because he didn't want to marry Ruthie, but because he wanted everything to go off right, and he prayed that Ruthie would like the surprise that Martin had gotten for her.  
"Martin, settle down. You're wearing it," Kevin said, with a snicker.  
Martin looked down, and realized that he was, in fact, wearing it. Martin let out a sigh of relief, and looked at Kevin, who was laughing so hard, that he'd become red.  
"What? Kevin, it's not that funny. You had to have been crazy on your wedding day."  
Kevin immediately stopped laughing. "Shut up," he meekly said, causing Martin to laugh. All the women were talking, helping each other with the backs of their dresses and such. Ruthie was being helped by Lucy, who, besides Annie, was the only person that had seen Ruthie's dress.  
Ruthie walked in, and the room seemed to have been immediately muted. Everyone gasped, as they saw how beautiful Ruthie looked.  
Ruthie walked out, wearing her dress and veil, holding a bouquet of peach roses, which perfectly matched the rose in her hair. The diamonds in her dress brought out the suttle highlights that she had been given earlier that day.  
"Ruthie, you look amazing! Even with a pregnant belly!" Mary said.  
Ruthie laughed. "Thanks, I guess."  
The women came over to adore her dress and compliment her, as Ruthie prayed that the wedding would go smoothly. "Guys, Dad says they're ready downstairs! We need to go!" Matt yelled through the room.  
The men, which included groomsmen, sons, grandfathers, and Martin, obviously, quickly finished tying ties and snapping suit buttons.  
"Martin," Simon said, causing Martin to turn around. "I just wanted to say...that I'm really glad you're marrying my sister. I can't imagine anyone better. You marrying her has motivated me to propose to Cecilia. I'm gonna ask her to marry me," Simon said with a grin.  
"Simon! That's great! When will you ask her?"  
"I don't know. I just know that I want to do it soon."  
Martin noticed that they were the only ones left in the room, and looked back at Simon. "We'd better go. I'm getting married today," Martin said, with a goofy smile.  
Simon laughed, smacking Martin on the back, and shut the door behind him, as they made their way to the wedding. The wedding was taking place in a garden outside of the hotel, and the reception would be taking place in the grand ballroom of the hotel.  
The guests began to sit, and family of the bride and groom were put in the first few rows. Martin noticed that his dad had come, and felt much better, knowing that his dad would be there to watch him say "I do."  
Martin took his place at the altar, as Eric came up behind him, patting him on the back. Martin was wearing a smile that he couldn't seem to control, and was becoming anxious.  
Martin noticed the garden grow quiet, as the strings ensemble began to play Canon in D, and the wedding began.


	15. Chap 14 Mr and Mrs Martin Brewer

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

The strings ensemble started Canon in D, and the wedding began.

Abby, dressed in a pale pink dress, which matched the bridesmaids dresses, walked down the aisle, spilling petals (guess which flower...yep, peach roses) all down the aisle.  
After making her way to the altar, she took her place, as the wedding party came through.  
Keith, who looked exactly like Martin, except for his hair, walked down the aisle, carrying a light blue satin pillow, with the wedding bands laying in a small dent in the middle.  
Then came Matt and Lucy, Lucy's elbow linked in Matt's, walking together.  
"Left, together, right, together, left..."  
Lucy began to laugh. "Matt, they won't kill you if you mess up your fancy footwork. It's just our little sister's wedding."  
Matt glared at Lucy, and then went back to reciting his footwork. When they reached the altar, Matt went and stood behind Martin's back, and hit Martin's shoulder, in a comforting, yet painful, pat.  
Next in line came Mary and Sam. Sam was half Mary's size, so Mary was just holding his hand, rather than linking elbows.  
Finally, Alyssa and David walked down the aisle. Martin smiled as they reached the altar, for next to come was Ruthie Camden, his bride.

The wedding march began to sound, and the crowd stood. Martin's smile widened, as he saw Simon and Ruthie turn the corner onto the aisle. They stopped for a moment, and Martin noticed that Ruthie's eyes looked wet.   
Simon and Ruthie began their walk down the aisle, as Martin smiled, tearing up, amazed at how beautiful Ruthie actually looked.   
"Ruthie," Simon said, his voice cracking.  
"Yeah, Simon?" Ruthie answered, her voice cracking just as bad.  
"I'm really happy for you. You're a lucky girl. Martin's a hell of a lucky guy to get married to you."  
"Simon, you're gonna make me cry," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
"Sweetie, you already are. By the way, I'm gonna ask Cecilia to marry me."   
Ruthie almost stopped walking, until she remembered where she was. "Simon, that's great! I'm so happy for you! Congratulations! When will you ask her?"  
"I don't know. I just want what you have with Martin."  
"What? Twins?"   
Simon laughed. "Nope...marraige, then kids."  
Ruthie laughed, and they reached the altar.  
"Okay, Simon. Time to become my dad."  
"Yeah, I'll pass on that," Simon replied, causing Ruthie to let out a laugh.  
Simon lifted her veil, kissing her cheek.  
He grabbed her hand, and turned towards his dad.  
"Who gives this woman to be with this man?"   
"You and your wife do," Simon said with a laugh.  
The guests laughed, as Ruthie stood at the altar, taking Martin's hands in hers, smiling a wide smile, mirrored on Martin's face. They were still smiling as Eric began to speak.  
"When Annie and I had Ruthie, I never imagined she would turn into the girl, well, woman that she has. She had twins at the age of sixteen, and could've lost either of them, or her own life, yet she had them successsfully, and has given them love and care like no other woman I've met, besides my wife."  
Ruthie laughed, yet began to cry at the same time.   
"She's getting married at the age of 18, to a man that Annie and I have come to know and love, like he was our own son. He's already our son. Now, it's just becoming official."  
Martin smiled, looking down at his hands, holding Ruthie's. He looked back at Ruthie's face, and noticed that she had tears falling from her eyes. He took a tissue from his pocket, and dried them, causing the audience to utter an anonymous, "Awww."  
"You ain't seen nothin' yet," Martin said, turning towards the guests. They began to laugh, as Ruthie laughed along with them.  
"Well, there's no better time to marry you two, so I'm going to do it now, before I start crying so hard that we have to get Matt up here to wed the two of you."  
Matt laughed, but suddenly didn't find it so funny. He had a confused look on his face, causing Eric to laugh harder.  
"We'll start with the vows. Ruthie, you asked to go first."  
Ruthie took her speech from Lucy, and looked up at Martin.  
"Martin, I never thought that I'd ever meet someone like you. When Lucy was married, I dreamed of meeting my true love and marrying him, and I never imagined that I would be standing here, at the altar, marrying you. I'm so lucky to have found someone like you, and I thank God every day for Him bringing us together. I feel as though we're already married, and that this wedding is just to show all our friends and family how to put a wedding band on other people's fingers."  
This comment caused the garden to utter a suttle laugh.  
"I love you, Martin Brewer, and I am so glad that after this ceremony, I will officially be able to call myself Mrs. Ruthie Brewer. I love you with all of my heart, and I thank you for sticking with me through everything."  
She folded up her speech, and handed it back to Lucy.  
Eric looked as though he might break down right there, but managed to say, "Martin, your turn."  
Martin turned around to get his speech from Matt, and turned back to Ruthie, looking in her eyes. He felt the impulse to kiss her, but knew that he had to wait a few minutes.  
"Ruthie, I have never believed in the saying, 'love at first sight.' That was until I met you, and then I knew exactly what it meant. It meant seeing a beautiful woman, who I thought I could never have, and yet, loved her with all my heart. It took me the longest time to realize it, and when I finally did, you were pregnant with my children. You'd passed out, and were on the verge of starving yourself to death, and that day I prayed. I prayed that you'd be okay, and that whatever was going on in your life would clear up. I never in my wildest dreams thought that one night would bring me to the altar, even though I dreamt about it every night.  
I would have the same dream every night. In my dreams, it would show a small clip of a wedding, where I was the groom. Each night, the wedding would advance farther. Then, one night, the night that the bride reached the altar, I lifted the veil. The face under the veil was yours, and it was at that moment that I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. That's why I'm standing here with you today, marrying you. I love you, Ruthie Camden."  
The audience began to clap, and Martin bowed, laughing as he did. Ruthie laughed with him, smiling and crying all at the same time.  
"Well, you two are both going to make me cry, so let's get on with it. Ruthie Camden, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, 'til death parts you?"  
"I do," Ruthie said, with a smile directed towards Martin.  
"Martin Brewer, do you take this woman..."  
Here, Eric had to pause, as he began to cry, realizing that he had just called his youngest daughter a woman. It made him feel older, yet proud.  
"Martin Brewer, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, 'til death parts you?"   
"I do," Martin said. He and Ruthie smiled, and looked towards Eric, waiting for the next part.  
"Well, I guess we'll go to rings, now. Keith, can you bring Grandpa the rings?"   
Keith walked over, and handed the rings to Eric, who handed the individual rings to Martin and Ruthie.  
"Martin, I'd like you to place this ring on Ruthie's finger, and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."  
Martin took the ring from Eric, and placed it on Ruthie's finger. "With this I ring, I thee FINALLY wed."  
Ruthie laughed, and took the ring from her father.   
"Ruthie, I'd like you to place this ring on Martin's finger, and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."  
Ruthie slid the ring onto Martin's finger. "With this ring, I thee wed."  
"Well, that's it. I now pronounce you to be husband and wife. Martin, you may kiss your bride, my daughter, and your wife."  
Martin leaned in and kissed Ruthie, and the audience stood and clapped.  
Ruthie draped her arms around Martin's neck, touching foreheads with his.  
"I love you, Martin Brewer."  
"I love you back, Ruthie Brewer." 


	16. Chap 15 Reception

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

Martin, Ruthie, the rest of the family and wedding party were taking pictures.  
"Okay, just Martin and Ruthie in this one, please."  
Everyone who had been standing at the altar quickly stepped to the side, as the photographer told them how to stand.   
"Okay, Ruthie, I want you facing sideways, so that we can see your stomach. Uh, Martin, put your hand on her stomach. Ooh, perfect! Ruthie, put both hands on top of Martin's, now look into each other's eyes."  
"I don't have a problem with that," Martin said, with a devilish look in his eyes.  
"Martin!" Ruthie whispered. "My family's over there! How can you be thinking about THAT now? The honeymoon's soon enough!"  
Martin laughed, as the photographer snapped the photo. "Martin, how did you know that I wanted you to laugh?"  
"I don't know. Maybe just a stroke of genius."  
Ruthie could barely hold her composure. However, she did manage to obey the photographer's next command, to kiss Martin.  
"No problem," she said, pulling him close.  
She put her arms around his neck, kissing him deeply, pulling him into a full-blown makeout session. They both forgot that both of their families were standing, watching them. Eric and Annie's faces were grimacing, and they attempted to cover the twins eyes.  
As soon as Annie saw a tongue, she began to attempt to stop it.  
"Ruthie! Ruthie! RUTHIE RYANN CAMDEN!"   
This made her stop. She looked towards her mother, and Simon couldn't help laugh at Ruthie's red mouth. Annie turned to face Simon, with a questioning death glare on her face.  
"What? It's funny! They're married, it's not that bad," Simon said, still laughing.  
"Mom. I am no longer Ruthie Camden. I'm Ruthie Brewer," she said, turning back to Martin, smiling.   
Martin started to lean in again, until Eric pulled him back.  
"We have to get you two in the limo. Let's go."  
Martin laced his fingers in Ruthie's, as Ruthie used her other hand to hold her dress up, and they walked towards the spotless white limo.  
"Can you believe we did it? Had twins, got you pregnant again, and just got married?" Martin said, unable to stop smiling.  
"What, you doubted me? Baby, I'd never let you down. I haven't, have I?" Ruthie said, in a seductive voice.  
"Oh, baby, you have NEVER let me down. You have yet to do so. When did you become so...hungry, let's just put it that way."  
Ruthie started to laugh. "Martin, I've been this way ever since my first time. Yeah, it was with some guy that didn't deserve it. He's kind of a jerk. Yeah, I heard he married some satisfying hottie two years into college."   
Martin laughed, and decided to play along. "Yeah, he did. She was quite the seductive one, and somehow managed to get him into bed every night. She went from a cute little five year old, to a pregnant mother at the age of 18."  
Ruthie laughed, and eventually the limo became silent.  
"Baby, these windows tinted?" Martin asked.  
"Honey, you paid for the limo."   
"Yeah, okay, sure I did," Martin said with a laugh.   
Martin quickly asked the driver, who laughed and said they were. Martin rolled the divider up, and pulled Ruthie to him. After five minutes, Martin had lost his tux jacket and shirt, and Ruthie was well on her way to losing a whole lot more, until they heard a rip.   
"Martin, I ripped it!"  
"Baby, you didn't do it. I did, which doesn't make it any better for me, so yeah. You ripped it," Martin said, laughing.  
"Babe, why are you laughing? We still have to go to the reception. If I walk in with a ripped dress, EVERYBODY will know what went on in here."  
"Don't you think they know what's going on already, especially after our preview at the altar during photos?"  
Ruthie playfully hit Martin's leg. "That was the BEST kiss you've ever given me. I almost gave myself right there."  
Martin choked on the water he was drinking, and began to let out huge sounds of laughter.

Ruthie had pinned her dress, so that it raised off the floor a bit, and the rip wasn't noticeable. Just as she had fixed it, the limo stopped, and the driver knocked on the door.  
"He thinks we're doin' somethin'," Martin said with a laugh.  
Ruthie eyed him. "We would be, if it weren't for your hands."  
Martin laughed, and opened the door.  
"Ready, baby?"  
"Ready when you are," Ruthie said, kissing Martin.

"Now, I present to you for the very first time, Mr. and Mrs. Martin Brewer!"   
The DJ announced the entrance, as the guests stood, clapped, and cheered. Martin and Ruthie walked in, and Lucy noticed how messy Ruthie's hair looked. She looked over at her parents, who didn't seem to notice a thing.  
Martin and Ruthie took their seats at the head table, where the entire Camden family was seated. The DJ began some more music, and the dancing went on for a while.

Finally, Matt tapped his glass with his knife, breaking it, sending glass in a million different directions.  
"Dam...crap!"  
Matt helped the janitors clean the glass up, and began his speech.  
"I was still pretty young when Ruthie was born. Even then, I knew that she'd grow up to be something special. I can't believe that she has achieved what she has at this age. Fifty years ago, when I was 18.."   
Ruthie laughed, along with the rest of the guests. Martin stood, hugged Matt, as Matt pretended to cry. Martin took out his handy tissue, and pretended to dab at Matt's eyes. This just drew more laughter from the crowd, and finally, Ruthie just yanked Martin into his seat.  
"When I was 18," Matt continued, "I was just trying to get into a good medical school. My baby sister is 18, and she's already a mother of twins, married, and has another one on the way. She's an amazing woman, and I am so proud to be able to say, that I am her older brother, who taught her everything she knows."   
Ruthie let out an obviously obnoxious laugh, and Matt's smile faded.  
"Ruthie," Matt said, pretending to be upset and crying again. "I...I...WAAA!"  
Martin took Matt by the elbow, took him into the hall, and he and Matt had apparently planned an entire skit.  
"Matt!" Martin yelled, so that the guests would be able to hear. "Matt! You have to stop crying! You're such a baby! I just pray that Ruthie doesn't turn out like you!"  
Ruthie laughed inside the room, as the guests immediately hushed the others, waiting on the next part.  
"Martin, I'm just really excited about the HOUSE YOU BOUGHT RUTHIE! I'M SO GLAD THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE A PLACE OF YOUR OWN! THE EMOTIONS JUST OVERCAME ME! I'M SO SORRY!"  
Inside the ballroom, Ruthie had begun to cry. "Martin Brewer! Get in here!"  
Martin and Matt walked in, Martin holding two dozen peach roses in his hand, Matt holding a set of keys.  
"Ruthie Brewer, I, along with Matt and Kevin, bought you a house. It's large enough for us to start a family, with more rooms than we need right now, but there's always room for more."  
Ruthie tried to speak, but was shushed by her own tears and Martin's voice.  
"Ruthie, I love you. We needed a bigger place, especially with a new baby on the way. So, I conspired with Kevin and Matt, and got you a gorgeous house. SLIDESHOW!"  
All of a sudden, the lights went out, as Martin hurried Ruthie to her seat.  
Ruthie watched the slideshow, and immediately fell in love with the house. It was red brick, and absolutely gorgeous. She viewed pictures of the exterior and interior, and all too soon, the lights came on. (I'll describe the house in lots more detail in a later chapter, when Martin and Ruthie tour the house.)  
"So, what do you think, baby?" Martin asked, handing her the roses.  
Ruthie answered by pulling him in for a passionate kiss, as Eric and Annie watched, to make sure it didn't turn into a free show.  
"Thank you, I love you SO much!" Ruthie said, still crying.  
"Daddy got us a big house! Aren't you excited?" Ruthie asked the twins, who were sitting next to her.  
Keith and Abby nodded, and then ran to give their father a hug. Martin and Ruthie smiled, hugging each other, with the twins between them, and hundreds of camera flashes went off, as a perfect picture opportunity came.  
"I love you so much. I still can't believe you bought a house!"  
"I didn't pay for it by myself. Matt and Kevin helped me."  
"Martin! Kevin and Matt both have things they have to pay for! How much did you pay for?"  
"Most of it. Don't worry, I'm making the payments until it's paid off. They just helped me beat the other guys to get the house."  
"Thank you. You have no idea how great you are," Ruthie said, smiling.  
"Well, I have an idea," Martin said with a laugh.

Chapter 42  
Dinner was being served, as Ruthie helped her children cut their chicken. Martin was talking to Matt, congratulating him on his excellent performance in the "house skit," as they were calling it.  
"Martin, can you cut Keith's chicken? I'm having enough trouble with Ab's."  
"Yeah, sure babe."   
Martin began to cut Keith's meat, until he nicked himself with the knife.  
"Fu..." Noticing that his kids were two seats down, he stopped himself.  
"Crap...Ruthie, where's the bathroom?"  
Ruthie saw the cut on his hand, which wasn't very deep, and rolled her eyes. "I said cut the chicken, not the Martin."  
Martin laughed, as Ruthie yanked him by the wrist to follow him.

"Baby...which bathroom do we go into? Last time I checked, we weren't both girls or guys."  
Ruthie laughed, and pulled Martin into the women's restroom.

"Ow! Ruthie, that hurts!" Martin said, pulling his thumb away from her.  
"You're such a baby, Martin! Give me your hand!"   
Martin suddenly turned into a four year old, and shook his head. "I don't want to..you hurt Martin," Martin said, sounding like an absolute child.  
Ruthie slapped him on the butt. Martin's eyes widened, as they both laughed, getting red-faced.  
"You listen to Mommy, Martin. Mommy says that you'll give her your hand, NOW!"  
Martin put his hand in hers, and let her bandage his thumb. Once she finished, Martin pulled her to him.  
"Don't go...don't go back out there yet."  
"Martin! We have to! They're going to want us for our dance soon!"  
Martin kissed her, and pulled away, realizing that he was having to support Ruthie to keep her standing.  
"Well...maybe just for a few minutes," Ruthie said, breathless.  
"That's the girl I know," Martin said, pulling her into a stall, and shutting the door for a little more privacy.

"Ruthie! Are you in here?" Mary yelled.  
Ruthie walked out of the stall, shutting the door quickly behind her.  
Mary looked under the stall door. "Martin, I can see you, get out!"  
Mary turned back to Ruthie. "How long have you two been in here?"  
"Only five minutes. Nothing happened, we were just...talking."   
"Bull. They're ready for your dance. I told them that you told me you'd gone to find some comfortable shoes for Martin. I figured that this was where you'd be, though. Lucky guess, I almost went into the men's restroom."  
Martin laughed, and slipped his arm around Ruthie's waist, walking back into the ballroom. 

Martin was holding Ruthie close to him, smelling her hair, which was his favorite smell in the world.  
"Ruthie, where are we going on our honeymoon?"  
"Well, I was kind of hoping we could go to Florida. I know that it's still in the U.S., but I've never been to that side of the country. Plus, I don't want to deal with other countries food and stuff, who knows what would make me sick."  
"Wherever you want to go, baby. I'll take you anywhere in the world."  
Ruthie smiled, and lightly kissed him. "I love you, Martin. Thank you for marrying me."   
"I love you, too. Thank you for agreeing to marry me."   
Ruthie smiled, and snuggled into Martin's chest, as family members were allowed to join them.  
Ruthie danced with Keith on her feet, and Abby was on Martin's feet. Eric and Annie, Kevin and Lucy, Ben and Mary, oddly enough, and Simon and Cecilia. Sam and David danced with two young girls who were friends of the family, as other guests joined them.

"Time to throw the bouquet!" Ruthie yelled.  
The girls lined up, as Ruthie looked over at Simon. All the girls in back knew what was about to happen, as did Simon and Ruthie. Ruthie tossed the bouquet, as the rest of the women backed away and let Cecilia catch it.  
Cecilia, confused by the women's actions, looked at Ruthie, who motioned for her to turn around.  
"Cecilia, I love you with all of my heart. You are the woman I'm meant to spend my life with, and I am so sure of that, that I am willing to do this."  
Simon bent down to one knee, opening a ring box, with a gorgeous ring inside. "Cecilia, will you marry me?"  
The guests clapped, along with the family. Martin and Ruthie were the only ones who knew about the planned proposal, so weren't surprised, but were cheering.   
"Yes!" Cecilia said, crying. Simon smiled, placed the diamond ring on her finger, and stood, kissing her. "I love you, Simon," Cecilia said.

Arthurs Note

I just recently started thinking about what month it should be in this story. If anyone doesn't have anything to do, I'd appreciate it if you could look and see if I ever mention what month it is in a chapter. I'm just going to say that the wedding is taking place in May, and I'm going to say that the babies' birthdays were in November. I know that this probably won't add up, but I don't think I ever specifically said what month it was. So...we'll say that the twins' birthday is November 2nd, and that the wedding anniversary is May 10.


	17. Chap 16 Solemn Vow

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

"Martin, where's our suitcases?"  
Martin walked into the bedroom, carrying two large suitcases. Martin and Ruthie were packing for their honeymoon. They'd be taking a cruise from Miami to the Caribbean, where they'd stay for a few days, and they would then sail back to Miami.  
"Hey, Ruth, what time did you say our plane time was?"  
"Uh..." Ruthie walked over the the bedside table, looking at the ticket. "6:30."  
Martin looked at the clock. "Well, we need to be there at 4:30, and it's 10:30, so...we have six hours to pack. Oh well, we don't need that much."  
Ruthie rolled her eyes. "Honey, if you plan on going with me, believe me, we'll be taking a whole load of crap. We need my makeup, which is only one bag..."  
"Babe, you don't even need that much. You just look like you have make-up on."   
Ruthie turned her head to one side. "Honey, if I have make-up on, then...I LOOK like I have make-up on. I don't think I'm following your point."  
"I'm just saying, you don't look like you. You look like someone with make-up on. I love you when you're not wearing any. Ooh! I have a challenge!" Martin raised her hand, waving it in the air.  
"Pick me, Mrs. Brewer! Pick me!"  
Ruthie laughed. "Yes, Martin?"  
"I bet that you can't go on our honeymoon without taking makeup with you."  
Ruthie looked as if she was going to cry. "I can't do that! Martin, I just..." Ruthie began to tear up.   
"Damn pregnancy hormones! Come here, baby." Martin pulled her close, kissing her forehead while laughing at the same time.  
"Are you laughing at me?" Ruthie yelled, as she pulled away from Martin.  
"No...never," Martin replied, over-dramatically.  
"Martin, you're such an idiot! Why the hell did I marry you! You STUPID MOTHER..."  
"RUTHIE RYANN BREWER!" Martin yelled. "Settle down! I swear, I don't remember your hormones being this awful when you were pregnant with the twins."  
Ruthie's mood suddenly changed. "Martin, sweetie, I'm so sorry," Ruthie whimpered, beginning to cry.   
Martin smiled, pulling her back to him, as he silently laughed behind her head.

Martin and Ruthie had made their plane, and were on their way from Glen Oak to Miami. Ruthie's hormones were way out of whack, as she had to pee every minute and a half, which Martin was sure to keep time of, and she'd go through mood swings faster than...something fast.  
"Martin, come here!" Ruthie whispered, as she walked to the bathroom for the billionth time.   
Martin followed her into the bathroom. The other adults on the plane laughed, as they saw the two enter the bathroom together.   
"Looks like he's gettin' some," one man said.  
"Yeah, and she's pregnant. I saw some picture of twins. I think they're theirs," another women said.  
"Well, they're married. They're both wearing rings. They're so young, though!"  
"Hell, for all we know, she's had multiple plastic surgeries, and he's been to the fountain of youth."

The adults outside, who had turned into an audience, listened to the rustling, bumping, and the occasional "Ow!" coming from the bathroom. They began to laugh as they heard moans come from the bathroom, and attempted to go back to their books or magazines, or the in-flight movie.

"Ow! Martin, you made me..."   
Martin kissed Ruthie harder, quieting her.  
"Excuse me..."  
A flight attendant was knocking on the door. "We're about to land. You need to be in your seat."  
"Is that..." Martin started.  
"It can't be..." Ruthie replied.  
Martin and Ruthie quickly got dressed, and opened the door.  
"Mary!" they yelled in unison.

"Oh my god! That was you two!"  
Mary began to laugh, as she rushed Martin and Ruthie to their seats.  
"Mary, I thought you were back in New York! You said you were taking some time off to spend with Carlos!"  
Mary's eyes seemed to cloud with memories. "Ruthie, I lied to Mom and Dad, alright?"   
Ruthie's eyes widened. "You? Never..." Ruthie said, over-dramatizing it.  
"Well, you lied to us, too! What were you doing?" Martin asked.  
"I'm pregnant."  
"Mary, that's great!"  
"It's Ben's."

"Oh my god...Mary...it's Ben's baby!"  
"Yeah. I flew to San Francisco to see Ben, and slept with him a month ago. We've been seeing each other for a while, and now I'm pregnant with Ben's baby. I'm just going to have to tell Carlos that it's his."  
"What! Mary, are you crazy? Look, I may only be your brother-in-law, but I'm smart enough to know that he's going to figure out that it's not his when it doesn't look anything like him."  
Mary sighed. "We're here. You two have to get off. I've got a flight back to New York tonight."  
"Mary," Ruthie said, grabbing her hand. "Promise me that you'll tell Carlos tonight."  
"I'm not getting back until late. I can tell him tomorrow."  
"No, Mary. I know you. You'll put it off again and again, and then you'll be in labor. What'll you do then?"  
Mary sighed. "You two better get off. You don't want to miss your cruise."  
"Mary, promise me," Ruthie pleaded.  
"Alright...I will."   
"Good. If you don't, I'll tell Carlos AND Ben for you."   
Mary's eyes widened. "Don't you dare..."  
"If you tell him, I won't have to," Ruthie said.

Martin and Ruthie had gotten off the plane, and were making their way towards the slew of taxis outside.  
"Do you think she'll tell them?"  
"Martin, something tells me she won't have to."   
"Women's intuition?"  
"Yeah. I just have this feeling...I don't know what it is," Ruthie said, looking up at Martin.  
"Let's just pray it all goes well."  
"I've done that already. I still can't get this nagging feeling off me."   
Suddenly, Ruthie stopped walking.  
"Martin, we need to head back to the gate."  
Martin looked at her like she was crazy.  
"Why?"  
"Hello! We were just talking about intuition, you loser!"  
Martin smiled, and walked back with her to the gate.

Martin and Ruthie walked their way towards the gate of their plane, and noticed a crowd standing around an escalator.  
"What is it?" Martin asked, to no one in particular.  
Ruthie looked at him, and he caught the message. They ran five steps, until they had to walk, since Ruthie was having trouble running, what with the extra weight on her.  
They reached the crowd, but couldn't see what was going on.  
"I'll go ask someone," Martin said, turning to Ruthie. She nodded, and Martin walked towards the crowd.  
"What's up?" Martin asked a tall man next to him.  
"Some flight attendant just fell down this escalator. She was pregnant, too."  
"Oh my god! That's my sister-in-law! Is she okay?"  
"I don't know. She's conscious and everything, but the EMTs are saying that they need to take her to the hospital. The baby's in danger."  
_Damn, Ruthie. You're good, _Martin thought, as he ran towards Ruthie.   
"Ruth, Mary fell down the escalator."  
Ruthie's eyes widened. "What? Are you sure? Did she...oh no."  
Ruthie walked towards the crowd, pushing her way through, which wasn't hard, since her stomach could be used as a battering ram.  
She saw Mary lying on the ground, clutching her stomach.  
"Mary! Oh my god, what happened?"  
Mary look up at her, with a tear-stained face.  
"My stomach hurts REALLY bad. Ruthie, call Carlos, okay?"  
Ruthie nodded, yelling for someone to find Martin Brewer.

"Mary, are you okay?"  
Martin, realizing what he'd just asked, answered it himself.  
"Dumb question. Ruth, what'd you need?"  
"Do you have your phone on you?"  
"Yeah," Martin said, pulling it out.  
"Call Carlos and tell him what's going on."   
Martin nodded, and began to dial the number.  
"Wait...since the only reason they're really worried about you is the fact that you're pregnant, what should I tell Carlos?"  
"That I'm pregnant. I'll tell him later," Mary said, letting the EMTs help her onto a stretcher.  
Martin finished dialing, and told Carlos what happened. He said he'd be there as soon as he could, and hung up.  
Martin turned to Ruthie, who was watching Mary be carried into the ambulance.  
"Should we call Mom and Dad?"  
"Do you think we should?" Ruthie asked.  
Martin answered by calling the Camden household, but couldn't reach anyone.  
"No one picked up," Martin said, putting his phone back in his pocket.  
Ruthie nodded, pulling her hair back into a ponytail.   
"Let's just get our bags, and go to the hospital," Ruthie said, matter-of-factly.  
Martin grabbed the bags, and the two grabbed a taxi and headed to the hospital.

"Who are you looking for?"  
"Um, Mary Camden-Rivera. She's a flight attendant, who..."  
"Room 381."  
"Oh, thank you," Ruthie said with relief.  
Martin and Ruthie walked hand in hand to Mary's room, where Carlos was with her.  
"How the hell did you get here so quick?"  
"I was here on business," Carlos answered.  
Ruthie looked at Mary. _I haven't told him yet, _she said, with her eyes.  
"Mary, did you lose it?"  
Mary began to cry. "Yeah, I did."   
Ruthie started to cry, and walked over to give Mary a hug. Martin gave Carlos a manly hug, but instead ended up letting Carlos cry on his shoulder.  
"Carlos, I need to talk to you about something," Mary said, breaking the silence.  
Ruthie looked at Mary, and gave a reassuring smile.  
"Do you want me and Martin to leave?"  
"No, stay here."  
Just then, Ben ran into the room. "Mary, are you okay?"  
Mary became worried. "Ben, sit. You, Carlos and I need to talk."   
Ben sat down, looking confused. Carlos sat next to Mary, holding her hand and stroking it, while giving the same confused look towards Ben.  
"Carlos, this baby...it...this baby wasn't..."   
"Mary, what's wrong?"  
"Carlos, this baby wasn't yours. It was Ben's."  
"Oh," Carlos said, dropping Mary's hand. "So, uh...wow. So, you...oh my god. That explains all the flights you took to San Francisco."  
Mary started to cry, as Martin and Ruthie looked on. "Carlos, I'm sorry. I love you, Carlos. I don't know what I was thinking. I was just upset about how our marraige was going, and now I realize that this just makes it worse. Please, Carlos, I can't live without you."   
Ben was still sitting silently next to Mary. "Mary, this baby was mine?"  
Mary looked at Ben. "Yeah, but I think there's a reason that I'm not having it. Ben, you and I were just fooling around back when I was twenty. Yeah, we fell in love, but then I met Carlos. Carlos is my husband, and I'm in love with him. I can't leave him, or Charlie."  
Ben looked hurt. "I'll always love you, Mary."  
"I'll always love you, too, Ben. I'm just not _in love _with you."  
Ben kissed Mary's forehead, looked at Carlos, who was staring out the window, and walked out.  
"Carlos, please say something," Mary pleaded.  
Carlos turned around. "Mary, I love you, and I know that we can work this out. I'm angry with you, but you are my wife, whom I've given my solemn vow to. I love you, I just don't understand why you did it."  
"I never will, either, Carlos. So...are we okay? Well, as okay as we'll ever be after this?"   
Carlos looked at Mary and smiled. "Yeah, but don't ever hurt me like this again."  
Mary smiled, crying. "I promise. This is my solemn vow."  
Carlos smiled, and kissed her.  
"So, will you ever do that to me?" Martin asked, as Mary and Carlos continued talking.  
"No. Never in my wildest dreams would I even think about it. I love you."  
"Love you, too."   
Martin and Ruthie kissed, as Carlos and Mary smiled, watching them.  
"Remember when we were young like that?" Mary asked.  
Carlos laughed. "Yeah, I do. Young and stupid. Now, we're getting smarter."  
Mary let out an obnoxious laugh. "Yeah, right. If cheating on the man you love and are going to spend your life with is smart, then I'm sure as hell the smartest person around."  
Carlos laughed, kissing Mary again.


	18. Chap 17 Honeymoon Postponed

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

"Martin," Ruthie said, as she and Martin walked out of the hospital.  
"Yeah, babe?" Martin replied.  
"We missed our cruse," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Martin stopped, and turned his face towards the sky, laughing.  
"What do you wanna do?"   
"Ruthie, you choose. What would you like to do?"   
Ruthie ran up to Martin, putting his arms around him. "Let's just find a hotel. We'll spend tonight together, and then we'll take a real honeymoon after the baby's born."  
Martin smiled, placing his hand on her stomach. "Only five months left. Do you think it's a girl or a boy?"  
"I don't know. We need to talk about names, though."  
Martin smiled, lacing his fingers in hers. "Let's go to the hotel, and then we can talk," Martin said, with a mischeivious smile.  
"Or not..." Ruthie said, pulling Martin into a knee-weakening kiss. Martin put his arms around her, running his hands through her hair. Ruthie pulled away, causing Martin to moan in despair.  
"C'mon. We can't do it in a hospital parking lot," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Martin smiled, helping Ruthie into their rental car. 

"So, what if it's a boy?" Martin asked.  
He and Ruthie were lying on the bed in the honeymoon suite, holding hands and talking.  
"You get to decide boy names, remember?"   
"Ruthie, I picked Keith's name. You get to pick a boy name."   
Ruthie looked over at Martin, with a sparkle in her eyes that made Martin smile. "You've picked a girl name already, haven't you?"  
Martin smiled. "Yeah. What do you think of Mackenzie Grace?"  
"Awww, baby, I love it. How long have you had it picked out?"  
"I've just always liked the name. I couldn't ever pick what to put with Mackenzie, but one day I woke up and picked Grace. Now...boy names. Got one?"  
"How about Matthew Hayden?"  
"You're naming him after your brother, aren't you?"  
Ruthie smiled. "Matt's the one that kept both of my babies here, and myself. I feel that it's the least we can do to pay him back."  
Martin looked at Ruthie. "So, are we going to name a child after every sibling you have?"   
Ruthie laughed. "If we have that many," she said, still laughing.  
Martin pulled Ruthie on top of him, causing Ruthie to laugh even harder. Once she saw the pleading look in Martin's eye, she smiled, and answered his plea. She leaned down and kissed him, getting more passionate by the second. "Now this is what you do on honeymoons," Martin said in between kissing Ruthie.

Martin and Ruthie were packing the one bag they'd brought into the hotel, and were heading back to the apartment. Suddenly, it dawned on Ruthie that they'd be arriving a bit early.  
"Martin, what do we tell our parents?"  
"Uh, we tell them we missed the cruise. We didn't pay for the cruise yet, so we didn't lose any money."  
"How is it that everything turns to money with you? I mean, I know you're in banking, but still..."  
Martin smiled. "You're worried about letting something slip, aren't you?"  
Ruthie had a sympethetic look on her face. "These hormones are making me crazy. I can't control my own mouth anymore."   
"Ruthie, when have you ever controlled your mouth?"   
Ruthie looked at Martin with an evil glare, and then threw a pillow at him, causing Martin to throw it back at her.  
"Martin, are you trying to kill our third child?" Ruthie said, not able to contain her laughter.  
Martin was laughing just as hard. "First of all, it's a pillow. Second of all, we're a married couple, I'm in my twenties already, and we're having a pillow fight."  
Ruthie laughed. Suddenly, she realized what she could tell her parents.   
"Hey, babe, how about we just tell Mom and Dad that we missed the twins, and we went on the cruise, but I started to feel seasick, so we got off in the Caribbean, and flew to Miami, and then back to Glenoak, so that we can call them and tell them to check our flight back. I think it's a good story."  
Martin appeared to be thinking it over in his head. "Yeah, it is, except for one small thing. IT'S A LIE!"  
Ruthie rolled her eyes. "Hell, Martin, I lied to my parents when I was 15, and that was a hell of a lie. Doing it three years later won't kill me. Besides, if we told Mom and Dad about Mary's little used-to-be-pregnant-with-Ben's-baby deal, it would break their hearts. Carlos and Mary need some time to heal anyway. You know Mom and Dad will harp on them the second they hear it."  
Martin sighed, but knew she was right. "We will tell sooner or later, right?"  
"Someday, but I think Mary should be the one to tell them."  
Martin glared at Ruthie. "She'll never tell them. Stop trying to get out of it. Let's go, we've got a plane to Glenoak."  
"Are we going to finish what we started on the way here?" Ruthie said in a seductive voice.  
Martin grinned. "Maaaaybe..." he said, kissing her.

"Mom! Dad! We're home!"  
Eric and Annie, who were in the kitchen (surprise, surprise) exchanged glances. "Ruthie, is that you?"  
Ruthie and Martin walked into the kitchen, answering Annie's question. Eric hugged Martin, and Annie hugged Ruthie, but both of them looked confused. So, Ruthie began her story.  
"I just really didn't feel up to a cruise, and since we didn't have to pay until we got on board, we decided that we'd just have a big honeymoon after the baby's born."   
Annie smiled. "That's a good idea. So, did you actually fly out to Miami?"  
"Yeah, but I just felt like I wouldn't be able to take going on a cruise, what with all the seasickness and stuff. Where's the twins?"  
"Oh, I'll go get them. I think Lucy's playing with them."  
Ruthie smiled. "Lucy's home?"  
"Yeah, Kevin's out on duty, Anna's at a friend's house, so Lucy was lonely. I don't think she'll ever leave," Eric said, with a sigh.  
Martin laughed. "Well, I'm getting Ruthie out of the house for you," Martin said, still laughing.   
Eric's eyes brightened. "When are you taking us by the house?"  
"Well, I guess we could go tomorrow. How's that?" Martin asked, putting his arm around Ruthie's waist.   
"That's fine. Here's my favorite twin grandkids!" Eric said, as Keith and Abby ran in.  
"Mommy! Daddy!" they screamed, as Martin picked both of them up. Ruthie hugged them, but didn't pick them up, because of her stomach.  
Ruthie smiled, as she always did when she saw her children. In five months, she'd have another one. She smiled even wider, just thinking about having another "young-un" in the house.  
"Mom, Dad, we were thinking that if this one's a boy, we'd name it Matthew Hayden, after Matt. What do you think?"  
Annie and Eric both got that infamous goofy smile on their face. "Really? You want to name it after your brother?"  
"Yeah, if it's a boy. If it's a girl, Martin picked Mackenzie Grace."  
"That's beautiful, Martin! You two pick some of the most gorgeous names out."   
Martin and Ruthie smiled. "We try," Martin said, pretending to stretch. Ruthie playfully slapped him on his stomach, as Martin, by reflex, came close to slapping Ruthie's stomach in return.  
"Ohhhh, don't even think about it, Martin Brewer," Ruthie said, suddenly growing serious.  
Martin laughed, pulling Ruthie next to him, kissing her head, as she snuggled into his chest.   
Annie and Eric looked on, amazed at how perfect they fit together.  
"Well," Eric said, in a slight whisper, "I think our daughter married her other half."  
Annie smiled. "Of course she did, I wouldn't have let her settle for anything else."

"Ruthie, where's Keith's shoes?"   
"In the living room."  
Martin walked into the living room, where Ruthie was putting Abby's shoes on. Martin found Keith's shoes by the door.  
"Keith, come here! Daddy needs to put your shoes on!"  
Keith walked in, wearing his baseball jersey (birthday party), and ran to sit in Martin's lap.  
Ruthie smiled. "Hey, pumpkin. Ready to go see our new house?"  
Abby smiled and excitedly yelled yes, causing Ruthie's heart to melt. Martin noticed this, and let Keith off his lap.  
"Your daughter is beautiful, just like you," Martin said, kissing Ruthie's forehead.  
"Thank you. Your son is just as beautiful," Ruthie said, smiling up at Martin.  
Ruthie let Abby down off the couch, and took Martin's left hand in hers.   
"You're wearing a wedding band, Mr. Brewer. Who's the lucky girl?"  
"Well," Martin said, playing along, "She's an amazing woman. I love her with all of my heart, and I couldn't have picked anyone better."  
Ruthie smiled, kissing Martin. Martin began to speak again, ruining the moment in a slightly humorous way.  
"However, she is a bit over-obsessive, and sometimes, she isn't very smart. She's also kind of an idiot."   
Ruthie glared at Martin, making him laugh. "What? She's not you. You're perfect."  
Ruthie couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, I think so, too," Ruthie said with a smile.  
"Keith, Ab, let's go!" Ruthie yelled down the hall. "Can you get my parents, Martin?"  
"Yeah, babe. So, I'm taking you and the twins in the van, your parents are picking Kevin, Lucy, and Anna up, and they're following us, right?"  
Ruthie thought it over for a few seconds, and then nodded her head. "Let's go, babe," Ruthie said, as she followed the twins out the door.

"Okay, now close your eyes. Don't open them until I get you out of the car and onto the front lawn."  
Ruthie, becoming anxious, excitedly covering her eyes. Martin looked over at her and smiled, and turned onto their new street, Rose Avenue.

Ruthie, with her eyes still covered, heard Martin stop the car.  
"Are we here?" Ruthie asked excitedly.  
"Yes, but don't uncover your eyes, alright? I'll come around and get the kids out, and then you can get out. I'll help you, don't worry," Martin said with a laugh.  
Martin got out of the car, and opened the door to get the twins out of their seats. "C'mon guys, let's see your new house!"  
Keith and Abby looked just as excited as Ruthie did. Once they were released from their imprisonment...okay, car seats, they jumped out of the car, and went and stood on the front yard.   
Martin ran around, almost as excited as Ruthie, even though he'd seen the house already, and opened the passenger side door.  
"Okay, babe, I got ya. C'mon," Martin said, helping Ruthie out of the car.  
Once Ruthie felt the ground, she stepped out, and walked to where she was directed to. She could hear her mother and father adoring the house, which made her anticipate it even more.  
She felt Martin stop walking, and could feel grass beneath her feet. She stood, waiting on Martin's cue. Finally, it came.  
"Okay, babe. Open your eyes," Martin said with excitement.


	19. Chap 18 Number Three

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

"Oh my god, Martin, it's perfect!" Ruthie exclaimed.  
Ruthie was looking at a gorgeous two-story, red brick beauty. There was a two-car garage to the right, and a path leading from the sidewalk up to the front door, which was a perfect shade of black. All the windows were surrounded by matching black shutters, and there were two beautiful trelisses on either side of the door, containing a gorgeous-melon colored flower on each.  
Ruthie looked back to the garage, and noticed that Martin had pulled the minivan in. It was already starting to feel like home.

"Remember when I said I'd carry you across the threshold of our first house?"   
Ruthie smiled. "Yeah, I do. But, why would you want to carry a six-months along pregnant woman into the house? I'll break your back."  
Martin laughed. "I promised you, didn't I?" Martin said, picking her up. He obviously had some trouble doing it, but he managed.  
"Hey Martin, work out much?" Kevin asked, laughing as he did.  
"Shut...up...Kevin," Martin said in between huffs.  
As Martin let Ruthie down, he bent over, breathing heavily.  
"Damn, Ruth, how much do you weigh?" Martin asked jokingly.  
Ruthie didn't hear him, lucky for Martin, because she was so taken aback by the sheer beauty of the house.  
There was hardwood floors through the entire first floor. Ruthie walked to the left, and entered the kitchen. There was a large island in the middle, big enough for her children to help with making dinner and countless other things that could go on in the kitchen. There was a large pantry, big enough to hold countless snacks, canned goods, and God knows what else.  
She continued walking, and noticed that in the back, there was a nook where she'd be able to put a round breakfast table once they moved in. She could just see Martin and her kids running around the kitchen in the morning, grabbing breakfast, and smiled. This house was already filled with her memories.  
Ruthie kept walking, and turned to the right, where she entered the dining room. The dining room was fairly large, with a huge, bay window behind the table that Martin had apparently moved in already. It was a dark, beautiful stain, that matched the pale green walls. It seated eight, and Ruthie smiled. _We may need a bigger table in a few years. _  
She walked into the next room, which was the family room. It was extremely large, with plenty of room for seating, and Martin's large plasma screen TV that he wanted. Ruthie, however, knew it would be a few years before he got that.  
She turned right again, and realized she was back in the main foyer, where Martin and Kevin were talking. Lucy, Annie, and Eric were apparently behind, but since Martin and Kevin had already seen the house, they were waiting on Ruthie to come back.  
"It's beautiful, Martin. I love it. Thank you so much," Ruthie said, hugging Martin.  
Martin kissed Ruthie's hair. "Glad you like it. Ready to go upstairs?"  
Ruthie's eyes widened. "Yeah, let's go!"  
Ruthie walked up the slightly curving staircase, and walked to the right, down to the end of the hall.  
She entered the master bedroom, and was amazed at how large it was. There was a window seat in the corner, and Ruthie knew she'd be spending a lot of time there.  
She walked further into the room, and entered the master bathroom. The tile was a deep burgandy, with navy and golden specks catching the light every so often. There was a large Jacuzzi, and she could picture she and Martin sitting there, having a hell of a good time.  
To the right of the tub, there was a long countertop, with two sinks. On the other side of the tub, there was a large vanity. Even if Ruthie was still wearing all the makeup she used to wear, she still wouldn't fill that vanity.  
In the back, there was a shower with glass doors, and Ruthie knew she'd love that thing after the baby was born.  
Ruthie walked out of the master bedroom, with Martin following and smiling. She walked into the next room, which was a bedroom.  
"I was thinking we'd put the baby in here after it's born, so we don't have to walk too far to it's room. Then, in the next room," Martin said, walking Ruthie to the next door, opening it, "we can put Keith, since this room is painted red."  
Ruthie was falling in love with Martin all over again. He'd already planned all of this out, and everything he was saying was exactly what went through Ruthie's mind.  
Martin walked down to the next room, and opened the door. This one was painted a pale shade of pink, and it was obvious that this one would be Abby's.  
Martin and Ruthie walked out, and Ruthie realized that there were still five doors left.  
"One of those is a bathroom, and the others are bedrooms. We don't have to use them yet, though," Martin said with a smile.  
Ruthie smiled back, and made her way back downstairs, where Kevin, Lucy, Annie, and Eric were waiting.  
"I love it, Ruthie. I almost wish this house was for sale when Kevin and I moved," Lucy said.  
Kevin looked at her. "You mean you don't like the house we live in now?" Kevin asked.  
"No, I love our house. I'm just saying that Ruthie's lucky to get this sort of house at her age."  
Ruthie smiled. "Well, we didn't pay for the whole thing. That's part of the reason," Ruthie said laughing.  
"I love it, Martin. Thank you..so much," Ruthie said, turning back to him. Martin leaned in, and kissed Ruthie.  
"I'm glad you love it. I figured you would. I love you, Ruth," Martin said, kissing her again.

Martin and Ruthie were packing up the garage apartment, since they were moving into their house tomorrow. Ruthie had graduated high school, at the top of her class.  
Martin thought back to her amazing Valedictorian speech, that even caused him to tear up.

_"When I was fifteen, I fell under the spell of teenage hormones. It brought me to a world I'd never known before, one that included thoughts such as, "Why did I do that?" and "What was I thinking?"   
I never imagined that three years later, I'd be married to the most amazing husband, the mother of two adorable twins, with another one on the way. Even before I'd found out I was pregnant, I never would've dreamed of being Valedictorian over this much deserving group of students behind me.  
I've grown up in a pretty stable household. While we had our ups and downs, as any family, we've always been there for each other, and my parents have supported me all through my life. Thanks, Mom and Dad.  
A month ago, I married the man of my dreams. He's also been one of my many supporters. I love him with all of my heart, and without him, I don't think I'd be standing here today."  
Here, Ruthie began to tear up, as she faced Martin in the audience. Martin was smiling, yet tearing up as well.  
"I'm thankful that I'm graduating with this class, because they've all helped me. They've brought me through some of the toughest and yet, best times of my life. Everyone sitting behind me is worthy of this honor. I just beat them to it," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
The audience and Martin let out a laugh along with her, trying not to cry. He was amazed at how beautiful she was. Then, Martin noticed the twins were gone. He began to frantically search for them, until Ruthie began to speak again.  
"Well, apparently my babies needed to introduce themselves. This is Keith, and this is Abby. These guys are my children," Ruthie said, looking at Martin.  
"You might as well come up to," Ruthie said, laughing.  
Martin walked up the stairs onto the stage, and the crowd began to clap. He smiled, and kissed Ruthie, lacing his fingers in hers. _  
Martin had been so proud of Ruthie that day. She's graduated at the top of her class, even though she'd missed countless days of school, and been so far behind in her schoolwork, that for a while, it seemed she'd have to repeat her junior year. He was honored to be able to call himself her husband, for she was nothing less than perfect to him.  
"Martin!" Ruthie yelled, bringing Martin out of his daze.  
Martin slightly shook his head. "Yeah, baby?"  
"Can you bring another box in here? I can't fit all of my shoes in it!"  
Martin laughed. "Ruth, how many pairs do you own?" he asked, as he picked up a box, walking into their room.  
"I don't know, maybe..." Ruthie began to count the pairs on her bed. "Fifty...wait, I have two other boxes packed, so that can't be right," she said with a smile.  
Martin smiled back, as Keith and Abby bounded in the room.  
"All done!" they yelled in unison.  
Ruthie smiled at them. "Keith, did you pack all your toys?"  
Keith nodded, smiling. Abby nodded too, even though the question had been addressed to her brother.  
"Feel stomach?" Abby asked.  
Ruthie smiled. "Sure, sweetie. Come here," she said, as she sat on the bed.  
Abby and Keith were obviously excited. The funny thing was, though, they had no clue what was going on. They just knew that their mother was fat. However, Ruthie knew they'd love having a baby around the house.  
"Ruthie, I'm done packing your shoes, what else do you have?" Martin asked.  
"I think that's it. When's the moving truck getting here?"  
"Tomorrow. I thought I told you that. We're only packing up today. We're moving everything tomorrow. You knew that, right?"  
Ruthie looked surprised. "Well, of course I knew that. I was just testing you," she said, looking quite guilty.  
Martin laughed. "Yeah, okay. Sure you did..."   
Ruthie socked him with a pillow, and pretty soon, Martin was being attacked by his two little toddlers. Ruthie looked on and laughed, for watching Martin struggle to get two one-year olds off of him was quite a sight to see. Ruthie had to finally drag the two off. "So, we're done?" Ruthie said, as she looked at the barren room.  
"Yeah, I guess so."  
Ruthie began to cry, as Martin slipped his arm around her. "I know. I loved living here, too."  
Ruthie sniffled. "This place was our first home. The first place we shared together. It's where our kids have grown up. It's just kind of sad to leave it."  
"I know, babe. I'll miss it, too."   
Martin shut off the light to the now empty room that he and Ruthie had shared since the day he'd found out she was pregnant. They were starting a new chapter in their lives, and leaving behind a time that had brought tears and joy. They were starting their lives now, with their own house, a new baby, and the continuation of their twins' lives. What could be better?

Martin and Ruthie were standing in their front foyer. For Martin, it had been a long day. He'd helped Kevin, Eric, Matt, and Simon move in heavy furniture, and boxes into their rooms.  
Ruthie hadn't had such a long day. She'd merely sat and watched as the men moved things in, and directed them to where they went. She'd done some unpacking, getting things that she and the kids would need the most, as the rest could gradually be unpacked.  
Ruthie, being seven months along, couldn't help much. All she wanted to do was sit and watch. She wasn't due until August, but she felt like she'd pop any day now. She'd look at pictures from when she was pregnant with the twins, and realized she should be grateful that she wasn't as big now as she was with them.  
"Well, that's the last box. Everything's moved in. You guys gonna be okay?" Eric asked, starting to tear up a bit.  
"Yeah. Thanks, Dad. I love you. We'll still visit, we promise," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Eric laughed with her, as Martin and the rest of the guys walked into the foyer, laughing about something.  
_Boys will be boys, _Ruthie thought.  
Martin saw Ruthie, and slipped his arm around her back. "Hey, babe. You feelin' alright? Wanna sit down?" Martin asked.  
"I'm alright for now. In about five minutes, I'll need a chair, though."  
Martin smiled. He sat Ruthie down in a love seat that they'd placed in the foyer until they were ready to move it.  
The men left, and Martin shut the door behind them. He waved through the window as they drove away, and turned back to Ruthie, who was smiling away.  
"Well, babe. We did it. We had twins, got married, and got a house of our own," Martin said, noticing tears in Ruthie's eyes. He sat down beside her, and looked into her eyes.  
"Ruthie, you miss living there, don't you?"  
Ruthie smiled. "I've lived there since I was born. It's just weird, I guess. I mean, I'm used to big houses, but to have one without a large family is kind of weird."  
Martin kissed her, placing his hand on her stomach. "Well, we're working on the big family part."  
Ruthie laughed, as Martin dried her tears with his hands.  
"Martin, after we have this one, can we wait a few years before we have another?"  
"Sure, baby. I'm not promising anything, though..." Martin said, slyly.   
Ruthie laughed, as she heard Keith upstairs playing.  
She and Martin looked at each other, and headed up the stairs, hand in hand, and walked towards Keith's bedroom.  
"Hey, sweetie. Having fun?"  
Keith turned around, and smiled at the two of them. It still took Ruthie's breath away when he smiled. He had a smile like no other...oh wait, there was her husband.  
Ruthie looked at Martin, who was smiling and playing with Keith, and Ruthie started crying. She was so entirely grateful for everything she'd been given.   
"Thank you, Lord..." she whispered, as she went to check on Abby.  
Abby was sitting playing with her Barbie's, who were talking with each other, in the language of Abby.  
Ruthie fell to the floor, as it was almost impossible to gradually sit down now. She began to play with Abby, and she and Martin played with their children, in the house that was now theirs. A place that they could officially now call home.

TWO MONTHS LATER  
Martin and Ruthie were lying in bed, with a packed suitcase sitting by the door. Ruthie's due date was in a week, and she was as ready to give birth as...you get it by now, don't you?  
Martin had gotten a job earlier that day, as an accountant for a nationwide lawyer firm. He was going to begin to support their family, and Ruthie was really starting to feel like a woman.  
Ruthie got out of bed, looking at Martin, who was sound asleep. She smiled, kissing his cheek, and walked down to Keith's room.  
She cracked the door open, and peeked inside. For a minute, she thought Martin and Keith had switched rooms, but realized that it was indeed her son.  
She shut the door, and walked to Abby's room, who was sleeping with the stuffed bear Martin had gotten her that day. Abby was hugging it tight, and Ruthie smiled.  
_She's a daddy's girl, _Ruthie thought, smiling.  
Ruthie shut Abby's door, and walked back to bed, and crawled under the covers.

Two hours later, at 5:32 A.M., Ruthie woke up. She looked under the blankets, and began to wake Martin up.  
"Martin, Martin! Baby, my water broke! Martin, wake up!"  
Martin got out of bed, and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the shower, as Ruthie sat in bed, bewildered. She heard the shower shut off about thirty seconds later, as a shirtless Martin opened the bathroom door.  
"What did you say?" Martin asked.  
"I said my water broke! We need to get to the hospital!"  
"I thought you said, 'Get up for work.' Yep, this baby will definetely be a mother's child," Martin said with a laugh.  
Martin just stood in the doorway, as Ruthie continued her breathing exercises.  
"Martin! What the hell are you doing! Wake the kids up and grab the suitcase! Drive me to the hospital!" Ruthie yelled.  
Martin began to run around, pulling on some more appropriate clothing, because, while it would be a REAL treat to just see him in his boxers, he felt that going to the hospital in just that may give the wrong message.  
Martin ran down the hall, and then ran back.  
"Baby, can you walk down to the van? I'll grab the kids," Martin said, poking his head in the door.  
Ruthie nodded, and got up. She walked slowly, since she was feeling just a LITTLE BIT of pressure. (Hint the sarcasm...)  
She made it to the van, and waited on Martin.  
She found her cell phone in the glove compartment, and called her house. She tried the number five times, and her mother finally picked up.  
"Hello? Camden residence," Annie said.  
"Mom, I'm in labor. I'm having the baby!" Ruthie said, excited.  
It sounded like Annie had dropped the phone.  
"You're in labor! I'll get your father, and call everybody, just get there, alright?"   
"Mom, when you get there, can you watch the twins?" Ruthie asked, as Martin walked into the garage with two sleeping children.  
"Yeah, sure honey. Be careful, but hurry!"   
Ruthie laughed at her mother's request. "Okay, Mom. Love you, too. Bye," Ruthie said as she hung up.  
Martin hooked Abby in her car seat, who was still holding her bear and still in her pajamas.  
Martin then swung around, putting Keith in his seat. He shut the doors, and got in the driver's seat.  
Martin opened the garage, and started the engine.  
"Okay," he said before backing out. "Suitcase, two kids, a pregnant wife, and excruciating pain. Everybody here?"  
Ruthie couldn't help but laugh, as Martin leaned and kissed her.  
"Here comes baby number three, Ruth. Ready?"  
"Yeah, I am. Let's have a baby," Ruthie said, smiling.  
"I love you, Ruthie," Martin said.  
"Love you, too," Ruthie answered.  
Martin closed the garage, put it in drive, and sped off toward the hospital. They drove off, ready to bring Baby Brewer Number Three into the world.


	20. Chap 19 It's a

**Urbanluver would like you all to know that the reason it may seem a little rushed is because these were originally short chapters on the wb fan fiction board, and we combined 3 chapter into one to make the transfer process a little faster! Sorry for the inconvenience, from now on there will be a large gap in between the used to be small chapter. Once again thank you all for reading and the great reviews. Enjoy the rest of the story!**

The Brewers made it safely to the hospital, and Martin walked her in, as the children followed in their slippers.  
"Hi, my wife is in labor. We were hoping to maybe have a baby tonight. Can we get a delivery room?" Martin said, setting Ruthie down in a wheelchair.  
The receptionist laughed, and asked Ruthie how far apart her contractions were. Ruthie looked a bit embarrassed.  
"When I had the twins, I went from not being dialated to a full ten centimeters in about six minutes, so I don't even know...ooh! Never mind," Ruthie said, gripping the chair handles.  
Keith and Abby watched in worry, as Martin coached Ruthie through her first contraction. After Ruthie started feeling less pressure, Martin saw his children, looking on in fear.  
"Mommy hurt?" Abby asked.  
Martin smiled. "No, Mommy's okay. You guys are gonna have a little brother or sister tonight. Aren't you guys excited?" Martin asked, kneeling down.  
"Baby?" Keith asked.   
Martin laughed. "Yeah, Mommy's gonna have a baby."   
Martin stood up, turned around, and saw Annie, Eric, Kevin, Lucy, Savannah, Sam, and David run in through the doors. He went to greet them.  
"Hey, you finally got here."  
Eric laughed. "Annie couldn't find her shoes. Sounds so trivial compared to my daughter going through labor for the second time before she's twenty," Eric said, chuckling.  
Martin laughed along with him, as he heard Ruthie yelling for him.  
"Martin, Martin, Martin, Martin! Come here!"  
Martin ran to Ruthie, as she gripped his hand. "Ow...ow...ow...ow!" Ruthie yelled, as Ruthie's doctor wheeled her to the delivery room.  
"Ruthie, you're doin' fine. Breathe, Ruth. Almost over...almost done. Okay, is it over?" Martin asked, rubbing Ruthie's back.  
Ruthie nodded, as they transferred her to a bed.  
"Ms. Camden," Dr. Graham started.  
"Brewer...Mrs. Brewer. I'm married, now," Ruthie said, smiling, yet still breathing heavily.   
"Congratulations. Mrs. Brewer, how far apart are your contractions coming?"  
"About every five minutes so far. Martin, where's the twins?"  
"Mom and Dad," Martin answered.  
Ruthie nodded, as she changed into a hospital gown.   
"Ruthie, would you like the epidural?"  
Ruthie looked at the doctor. "Can I talk with my husband about that for a minute?"  
"Sure, I'll give you a few minutes to talk about it," the doctor said, as he left the room.  
"Martin, I know I said I wanted natural births, but I didn't have one with the twins, and believe me, that thing could've done a world of good," Ruthie said.  
"Well, why are you asking me? Hell, if it's less pain for you, that means I might actually make it home with two unbroken hands," Martin said with a laugh.  
"Okay, I want...no, I don't...OOH! AAAH! Screw the lamaze, Martin! Get me the damn epidural!" Ruthie yelled.  
Martin had to keep from laughing, and he found the doctor walking down the hall.  
"Ah, Mr. Brewer. Have you made a decision?'  
"Yes, and I believe my wife's exact words were, 'Screw the lamaze, give me the damn epidural.' So, I'm pretty sure she wants the epidural," Martin said, laughing with the doctor.

The doctor walked in, and inserted a needle into Ruthie's back, and Ruthie instantly felt less pain.  
"Oh...this is a miracle," Ruthie said, able to breathe a bit more regularly.  
Ruthie laid back against the pillows, as she felt another contraction coming.  
"Oh God...why does this baby torture me?" Ruthie said.   
"MMMMMMM...AAAAAH! MARTIN, BABY, MARTIN! OW OW OW!" Ruthie yelled, beginning to cry.  
"Ruthie, c'mon. You can do it," Martin said as he watched the monitor. "Okay, almost over...almost there...alright, babe. That's the end of it," Martin said, wiping back Ruthie's hair, matted to her head.  
"How far along am I?" Ruthie asked the doctor, who was examining her.   
"You're about five centimeters. How long have you been in labor?"  
"What time is it?" Ruthie asked the doctor.  
"It's...7 o'clock."  
"Ugh...an hour and a half," Ruthie answered, becoming discouraged.  
"Well, Ruthie, I'll come back in a little while, and check on you. Until then, you can bring your family in here, if you'd like."   
Ruthie's eyes suddenly lit up. "Yeah, I'd like it if they'd come. Martin, can you go get them?"  
Martin nodded, kissed Ruthie's forehead, and went to find the family.  
"How's she doing, Martin?" Kevin asked, with Savannah sitting on his lap.   
"She's fine. She's five centimeters along, but she's had the epidural, so it's not as bad as it could be," Martin said, with a bit of a laugh.  
"Can we see her?" Simon asked.   
"Yeah, sure. That's why I came out here, actually," Martin said, leading the family to Ruthie's room.  
As Martin walked in, he heard Ruthie going through a contraction.  
"Hang on a minute," Martin said. He made a face at Kevin, and Kevin instantly understood.  
_Contraction, _he mouthed to the family.  
Two minutes later, Martin opened the door, and they walked into the room.

Ruthie looked like she'd been in labor for hours, and had only been in labor for an hour and a half. Her hair was matted to her head, which was drenched with sweat. She was pale with exhaustion, and her mouth had become dry.  
"Martin, where's my ice chips?" Ruthie asked, as the family filed their way in.  
Martin handed her the cup, and sat down at the foot of Ruthie's bed.  
"Mom, did you call Matt and Mary?"  
"Yes, I did. They said they'd get here as soon as they could. Mary sounded a bit worried about us calling. Maybe she thought you were in trouble or something," Annie said, waiting for Ruthie to make a facial expression.  
Ruthie forced herself not to make one, and as soon as her mother looked away, looked straight at Martin.  
Martin shrugged. _Well, it could be worse... _Martin mouthed.  
"Mom..." Ruthie said, as she braced herself for a contraction.  
Sam and David watched in disbelief as they heard their sister scream in pain, but were quickly explained the situation by Kevin, who had to explain it in a child sort of way.

"Well, Ruthie," Dr. Graham said, after the younger kids and men had walked out, "you're ten centimeters. We're ready to deliver. Are you?"  
"Are you kidding? Let's see you try and blow an elephant out your as..."   
"Ruth, the language can wait. You need to push. C'mon, baby. You can do it," Martin said, as he put one hand on Ruthie's back, and the other holding her hand.  
Ruthie took a deep breath, and pushed with all her might.  
"Martin, god! Ow ow! Martin, Martin, Martin!"  
"Ow ow ow ow!" Martin screamed in return, as Ruthie squeezed his hand.  
"C'mon, babe. Five, four, three, two..."  
"One!" Ruthie yelled, as she threw her head back on the pillow. She was sweating profusely, and didn't know how she'd be able to get another push going.  
"Martin, I can't. It hurts too much...Martin, please don't make me...Martin.." Ruthie said, now crying.  
"Ruthie Brewer, listen to me. You are an amazing woman. One more big push..." Martin said, interrupted by the doctor.  
"More like two," Dr. Graham said.  
"Okay...two more big pushes, and you're going to have another beautiful baby. I know you can do it, baby. C'mon...I love you. You can do this, Ruth..."  
Ruthie dug her chin into her chest again. "Ohhhhh...OW! Luce!"  
Lucy ran and grabbed her other hand, as the rest of the family watched from the other side of the room.  
Ruthie laid her head back on the pillow. "Martin, I can't..." Ruthie, now crying her eyes out, was about ready to give up.  
"Martin, I just can't do it..." Ruthie said.  
"Ruthie, you are really gonna have to push. C'mon, Ruthie. Let's see another baby come into this world," Dr. Graham said.  
Ruthie dug her chin into her chest, for one more huge push.  
"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" Ruthie screamed. Ten seconds later, she fell back against the bed, exhausted.  
She laid there, ready to push again, until she heard a baby cry.  
"I pushed it out already!" Ruthie exclaimed, not realizing she was finally done.  
Martin laughed. "Yeah, you did. You did it, baby!" Martin said, kissing Ruthie as she cried.  
"Well...if I remember correctly, you didn't find out the sex of the baby, right?"  
"Yeah. What is it? Is it a Matthew Hayden or Mackenzie Grace?" Ruthie asked the doctor.  
"Well, if we're using those names...you two have brought into the world...a Matthew Hayden. You two are the proud parents of a baby boy. Congratulations," Dr. Graham said with a smile.  
Ruthie put her hand to her mouth, crying and looking at Martin. "We've got a boy," Ruthie said, still crying.  
"Well, Dad. Would you like to cut the cord?" Dr. Graham asked, handing the scissors to Martin.  
Martin cut the cord, as Matthew was taken to be wrapped up.  
"I am SO proud of you, Ruthie," Martin said, as he kissed her cheek.  
"I love you, Martin," Ruthie said, still breathing heavily and crying.  
"Love you back, Mrs. Brewer," Martin answered.

"Here you go, Mr. and Mrs. Brewer. Congratulations," Dr. Graham said, handing Matt to Ruthie.  
"Martin, he's so beautiful," Ruthie said, beginning to cry.  
"He gets that from his mom," Martin said, smiling and kissing Ruthie's hair.  
Ruthie laughed. "His fingers are so tiny," Ruthie said, unable to stop crying.  
"I'll bring in the rest of the family, and give you some time," Dr. Graham said, leaving.  
Ruthie nodded. "Thank you," she said, smiling.  
Dr. Graham nodded in return, and walked out the door.

"I take it you are the Camden family?" Dr. Graham asked. It was an obvious answer, since they occupied the entire space of the waiting room.  
"Yes, we are. Is Ruthie okay?" Eric asked.  
"She's fine. She's had the baby, so you can go and see her now," Dr. Graham said, gesturing in the direction of Ruthie's room.  
"You're not even going to tell us if it's a girl or boy?" Matt asked.  
"Why ruin the surprise?" Dr. Graham said, with a smile and twinkle in his eye.  
Simon grabbed Cecilia's hand, and led the family down to Ruthie's room.

"Ruthie...oh my god! Ruthie, that baby is beautiful!" Simon exclaimed, running to see his third nephew of the family.  
The rest of the Camden family filed in, with "oohs" and "aahs" coming from every corner of the room.  
Ruthie flashed a wide smile, as Simon walked over.  
"What is it?"   
"Just a sec," Ruthie answered.  
Simon gave Martin a hug, but still couldn't get an answer as to the sex of the baby just yet.  
Martin and Ruthie waited until the entire family was in the room. When they'd all entered, she cleared her throat.  
"Well, Martin and I would like you to meet..."  
"Matthew Hayden. It's a boy!" Martin yelled, finishing Ruthie's sentence.   
"Ruthie, he's absolutely beautiful!" Annie exclaimed, commenting on how tiny his fingers and toes were, and also on how pink and healthy he looked.  
Lucy came next. "Ruthie, he's adorable! He's the perfect mix of you and Martin. Wow, he's gorgeous, Ruthie," Lucy said. She then went into baby talk, whick is not all that entertaining.  
Mary came next. "Have you said anything to Mom?" Mary asked, while looking at the baby, making it seem as though she was talking about Matthew.  
"No, but she said you sounded a bit apprehensive when you answered the phone. Whenever you're ready to tell her, you can. Martin and I won't say a word until then."  
Mary smiled. "Thanks, Ruth. Wow, he's so adorable. You are so lucky," Mary said.  
"Why? Charlie was adorable, too!" Ruthie said.  
"You got another baby. I lost mine," Mary said with a weak smile.  
Ruthie sympathetically smiled back, as Matt came up.  
"Matthew Hayden, huh?" Matt asked, with tears in his eyes.  
"You have helped me so much. You're the one that gave me two adorable twins, and kept me from losing my own life. So, I thought it fitting to name my third after you," Ruthie said, smiling.  
"Wow. I never would've thought that my youngest sister would have three kids by the time she was twenty, and name one of them after me."   
"I had to change the middle name, though," Ruthie said, laughing.  
Matt suddenly looked offended. "What's wrong with my middle name?"  
Ruthie made a face, as Martin laughed. Martin and Matt talked for a few minutes, as Eric, Annie, Sam, and David walked over. All the Camden's children's spouses saw the twins, as Keith and Abby walked over.  
"Guys, this is your little brother," Martin said.  
Keith and Abby looked on, obviously confused and not completely comprehending the situation.  
"Mommy's gonna bring him home with us when we go back," Martin said.   
"Baby brother?" Keith asked.  
Martin smiled at Keith. "Yeah...that's your baby brother."

Simon and Cecilia had been married for a little over two months, now. Martin and Ruthie had attended their wedding, but skipped the reception, since Ruthie was about seven months along then. The wedding had happened after Martin and Ruthie moved into their house, and Ruthie thought it was one of the most beautiful weddings she'd ever been to, besides hers, of course.  
Martin and Ruthie, who'd been talking with the family for the past hour, turned their attention back to their newborn.  
"Ruth, he's beautiful. I'm so proud of you," Martin said.  
"He looks like you, Martin," Ruthie said, looking up into Martin's eyes.  
"No...he's gorgeous. It's all you," Martin said.  
Ruthie smiled, as Martin leaned in to kiss her.

"One of these days, we'll be just like those two, C," Simon said, watching Martin kiss Ruthie.  
"Well, that may be sooner than later," Cecilia answered with a grin.   
"C...are you pregnant?" Simon asked, excited.   
"Yeah...we're having a baby, Simon!" Cecilia asked.   
"Mom, Cecilia's pregnant!" Simon yelled, kissing Cecilia as he did.  
Annie's eyes widened. "You're pregnant!"   
"Yeah, I am, Mrs. Camden. Simon and I are having a baby!"   
"Oh! Simon, you're gonna be a dad!" Annie ran to hug Simon and Cecilia, who were bombarded with hugs from every member of the family, except Ruthie, obviously.  
Simon walked over to Ruthie.  
"Simon, I'm so proud of you!" Ruthie exclaimed.   
"Thanks. I can't believe Cecilia's pregnant already. We just got married," Simon said, with a dreamy and faraway look in his eyes.  
"Hell, I was the father of two kids before I got married. I'm sure you can be the father of a child during marraige," Martin said with a laugh.  
Simon laughed with him, as Ruthie, Martin, Simon, and Cecilia talked about marraige and pregnancy.


	21. Mr and Mrs Simon Camden

**Hey guys! Sorry the update has taken so long. Urbanluver wanted me to post this special bonus chapter for all of you. It takes place two months before the previous chapter. I hope you enjoy it. I'll have another Chapter up real soon!**

Mr. and Mrs. Simon Camden

"Cecilia, you look gorgeous," Mary said, admiring Cecilia's dress.  
Cecilia was wearing a silk white dress, with sleeveless shoulders, and a low V-neck in both front and back. It was plain, yet elegant. At the hem of the dress, there was a lace fringe, with sequins that caught the light. Her veil had been draped across her face, her hair had been left down, and had grown to be just past her shoulder.  
"Thanks. Are we ready yet?"  
Cecilia was obviously anxious to get going, for she'd been waiting to marry Simon since the day she'd met him, almost five years ago. (That's probably way off...but in my story, they've been dating that long. )

"Yeah, I think they are. Let me go find Matt, alright?"  
Cecilia nodded, and looked at herself in the mirror. Today she would become Cecilia Camden, and the name sounded perfect to her.

"Matt, Simon, Martin, Kevin, Dad...god, who's left? Is there ANYONE in here?" Mary yelled.  
Martin walked out in his tux. "Hey, Mary. What's up? Is Ruthie okay?"  
Mary smiled. "You are the biggest worrywart I've ever met. Ruthie's fine. Cecilia wanted to know if Simon was ready."  
Martin's face expression suddenly changed.  
"I don't know...we haven't seen him in over an hour."  
"What! Simon's gone! Martin, are you serious?"   
"We've been looking for him for a while. He said he'd gone out for cigarettes..."  
"Since when does Simon smoke?" Mary asked, bewildered.  
"That's the thing. He doesn't. He told Carlos that. Your husband is dumb as a doorknob," Martin joked.  
"Actually, a doorknob might just be smarter. Regardless," Mary said, laughing.  
Martin was laughing with her, and even though the two of them had never been in a room by themselves before, they were beginning to feel like family.  
"Why did Simon run?"  
"Word is he found a pregnancy test. I don't know if it was positive or negative, but Kevin said he found one sitting in Simon's room."  
Mary sighed. "I'll be back. Make sure all the guys are ready, just in case the lone wolf returns."  
Martin chuckled. "Alright, and tell Ruthie I love her," Martin said with a smile.  
"You two are so cute," Mary said.  
"Shut up, Mare," Martin said with a laugh.  
Mary laughed with him, and walked back to the girls' room.

"Cecilia, can I talk to you privately for a minute?"  
"Yeah, sure."  
Cecilia followed Mary over to a corner.  
"What's up? Is Simon ready?"  
"Did you take a pregnancy test?"  
Cecilia's face turned red. "Why do you ask?"  
"What was it?" Mary asked.  
"It was negative," Cecilia said, looking at Mary.  
Mary sighed, relieved. "Good. Martin said that he think Simon ran off because he found the test in his room."  
"Yeah, Simon and I were in there before everybody else got there. Simon said he had to rehearse for the honeymoon night, but I don't know why that was so special. It wasn't the first time," Cecilia said with a sly smile.  
Mary's eyes widened. "Wow, you two are quite the couple. So...you thought you were pregnant, and then you took the test in the room Simon was in? Cecilia, I thought you were smarter than that," Mary said with a laugh.  
Cecilia laughed with her, as Martin waltzed in the room. Ruthie was the only one still dressing, and Martin stopped to watch.  
"Martin, what the hell are you doing in here?"  
"What? It's nothing I haven't seen before," Martin said, his eyes twinkling.  
"Baby, just go talk to whoever you need to find," Ruthie said, motioning that her mother was in the room.  
Martin laughed, and found Mary talking with Cecilia.  
"Hey, any progress?" Martin asked.  
"Cecilia took a pregnancy test, and it was negative. Ya know, I'd understand if it was positive, but if it's negative, why would he run?"  
"Maybe he wanted it to be postive..." Martin said, thinking out loud.  
Mary looked at Cecilia, and Cecilia raised her head as Simon walked in the door.   
"Wanted what to be positive?" Simon asked.  
"Simon, you're not supposed to see the bride before the wedding!" Cecilia yelled, hiding behind the curtains.  
"Oh, the test?" Simon asked, completely ignoring Cecilia's remark. "I just freaked out about her taking one. I guess it was the shock of realizing that I may have turned into you two," Simon said, looking at Martin and laughing.  
"Hey! Ruthie and I have turned out just fine!" Martin yelled defensively.  
Simon laughed.  
"Ready to get married, C?" Simon asked.  
"Why did you run off?" Cecilia asked, obviously not letting it go.   
"Because I freaked out. I never thought about the possibility of you getting pregnant. Then, as time wore on while I was out, I realized that I kind of wished it was positive, since I really want kids. I guess I'll have to wait for that. Now, can we go get married please?" Simon asked.  
Cecilia smiled. "Let's go become Mr. and Mrs. Simon Camden," Cecilia said.

The wedding was taking place in the Camden household's backyard. There were bright white chairs lined up perfectly for the guests, and there was a white picket arch at the altar. Eric was performing the ceremony.

Martin was Simon's best man, and Ruthie was Cecilia's maid of honor. Simon and Cecilia had planned this, not only because it was who they wanted, but that way, Martin and Ruthie, who was seven months pregnant, would be able to walk down together.   
"Ruthie, you're crying a river," Martin said, looking down at Ruthie.  
"I just can't believe Simon's getting married. Sam and David are the only ones left, and then all the Camden kids are married off. It's just hard to believe," Ruthie said, drying her tears with the handkerchief Martin had given her.   
"You're so pregnant," Martin said with a laugh.  
Matt and Sarah were paired up, but this time, Sarah had to argue with Matt about footwork.  
Carlos and Mary came next, and were attending marraige counseling. They were both much happier now, and it was obvious by the glow on their faces.  
Kevin and Lucy were next, as Sam and David, with Annie in between, came next.  
Cecilia's niece was the flowergirl, and her nephew was the ringbearer.  
The entire Camden family was up at the altar, with Cecilia's niece and nephew...so crowded was an understatement.

"Simon, I want you to place this ring on Cecilia's finger, and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed," Eric said, tearing up.  
"With this ring, I thee wed," Simon said, gushing.  
"Cecilia, place this ring on Simon's finger, and repeat after me. With this ring, I thee wed."  
"With this ring, I thee wed," Cecilia said, smiling just as much as Simon.

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss my daughter-in-law, Simon," Eric said, fully crying by now.  
Simon kissed Cecilia, and the two took their first steps as husband and wife.


	22. Chap 20 When I think about Cheating

krazypirategurl: the last chapter was two months before Matt was born, It was like a flashback, just for a bonus!

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Brewer, you two can go home now. Have you turned in your forms?" Dr. Graham asked.  
Ruthie nodded. "Yeah, we did. Thank you so much," Ruthie said, smiling.  
"You're quite welcome. He's a beautiful boy. Your twins are gorgeous as well."   
"Thanks," Martin said.  
"Well, I'll leave now. Congratulations," Dr. Graham said, heading towards the door.   
"Thank you," Ruthie said.  
Ruthie finished packing up the diaper bag, and walked over to Martin, who was holding Matt in his arms, smiling.  
"Martin, you ready?" Ruthie asked, kissing him.  
Martin looked up. "Yeah, babe. You ready?"   
Ruthie smiled. "How many kids do you want?" Ruthie asked.  
"I was thinking six or seven, how about you?" Martin asked.  
Ruthie laughed. "We're waiting a few years before we have the next one, got it?" Ruthie asked.  
Martin sighed. "Alright, I guess you can take a break for a while," Martin said with a laugh.  
"Good. Now, let me hold my baby boy," Ruthie said, holding her arms out.  
Martin smiled, putting Matt in Ruthie's arms. They walked out the hospital doors, and drove to the Camden residence, where the rest of the family was waiting.

"Mom! Dad!" Martin yelled.  
Annie came running, at the mention of her name. "Hi! Oh, he's even more precious, if that's possible!" Annie exclaimed.  
Martin laughed, flashing his ...oh, so hott... grin.  
"Mom, do you have an extra...uh...breast pump?" Ruthie whispered.  
Martin, hearing her, let out a laugh, and walked into the family room, but not before Ruthie slapped him on the back.  
"Yeah, sure," Annie said, laughing just as hard as Martin was.  
Ruthie followed her mother upstairs, as the rest of the Camden family filed in from the kitchen, where they always seemed to be.

"Ruthie, you're back! He's gorgeous..."  
Martin watched Ruthie glow, showing off her second son, whom she let Matt hold, as Matt teared up slightly, Martin noticed.  
Ruthie managed to slip away from the crowd, and sat beside Martin on the couch.  
"This is where I told everyone Mac was the father...remember that?"  
"Yeah, I do. I was standing right beside you, and had no idea that the baby in you was mine," Martin said with a laugh, putting his left arm around Ruthie.  
Ruthie noticed the wedding band around his finger, and smiled.  
"You're wearing a wedding band," Ruthie said.  
"What? Oh...yeah, I finally found one that fit," Martin said, showing it to Ruthie.  
"That's not the best part, though," Martin said, taking the band off.  
"Look," Martin said, showing Ruthie the inside of the band.  
Carved inside the band, were the words, "I love Ruth," and Ruthie teared up.  
"Baby, that's beautiful. How much did it cost?" Ruthie asked.  
"Baby, why are you so worried about money right now? My dad has a TON left over from his service, so until I really start my job, we'll live off that. We're fine," Martin said.  
Ruthie wasn't so sure, especially after the bills she'd seen in the mail, and put in Martin's office, which still hadn't been touched.  
Ruthie smiled, but for the first time in her life, wasn't sure that her husband was telling the truth.

"Martin, whaddya say we leave the kids here tonight? Mom offered, since we haven't had any time to ourselves, lately," Ruthie said, walking closer to Martin.  
"You really wanna leave your newborn here with your parents? Ruthie, what's wrong with you?"  
"Martin, please...I want some time alone," Ruthie said, pressing herself against him.  
Martin sighed, smiling. "What about him being fed?"  
"Hello! You were there, laughing, I might add, when I asked Mom for the breast pump. Please...just some time between you and me," Ruthie said, walking her fingers up Martin's arm.  
Martin couldn't resist a night between them, so agreed and thanked his in-laws. They then drove home, but Ruthie had an ulterior motive.

"Okay, baby...should we start here or head upstairs?" Martin asked, talking in a seductive voice.   
"Actually, first...we need to talk," Ruthie said.   
Martin's eyes widened. "Are you breaking up with me?" Martin asked, mockingly.  
Ruthie smiled. "Seriously...we need to really talk, husband and wife," Ruthie said, sitting on the couch.  
She motioned for Martin to sit beside her.  
"How much are you getting paid?" Ruthie asked.  
Martin sighed, rolling his eyes and laying back against the cushion.  
"Why the hell are you so concerned? Ruthie, we're fine," Martin said, looking her in the eyes.  
"Martin, what about the unpaid stack of bills laying in your office? What about everything you're buying? The minivan, house payments, the wedding band..."   
"What...you want me to sell the damn wedding band? Ruthie, what the hell is going on?" Martin asked, raising his voice.   
"Don't curse at me!" Ruthie yelled, standing up.   
"Ruthie, could you kindly explain to me why you're so concerned all of a sudden?" Martin asked, standing up beside her.  
"All of a sudden! Martin, I've been worried about this since we got engaged! You had to have had your head in a hole to not have noticed how I asked you EVERY DAMN DAY OF THE WEEK how much you'd spent!"  
"Yeah, I noticed that, because I couldn't help but think that you were A COMPLETE CONTROL FREAK! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?"  
Ruthie began crying. "Really! You thought that I was A CONTROL FREAK! WHY THE HELL DID YOU MARRY ME THEN? You know what I thought...I thought that you were SO CAUGHT UP in starting our lives together, that GOING BROKE BEFORE YOU HIT TWENTY-TWO WAS BETTER THAN HAVING A LIFE FOR OUR KIDS!"  
Ruthie was crying now, as Martin stood with his arms around his chest.   
"RUTHIE, I AM SUPPORTING THIS FAMILY! I GOT A JOB LAST WEEK! I HAVEN'T LEFT YOU! I DIDN'T LEAVE YOU WHEN YOU SAID THE TWINS WERE MINE! I HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING TO HURT YOU, HAVE I? HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?"  
Ruthie's face was covered in tears. "I never said you did anything to hurt me..."  
"GOOD, BECAUSE I DIDN'T! WHAT WOULD BRING YOU TO SAY SOMETHING LIKE THAT?"   
"Martin, can we please just talk in a civil manner?"   
"YOU EXPECT ME TO STOP YELLING! I'M MAD, RUTHIE!"   
"God...this was a mistake.."  
"WHAT! HAVING KIDS? HAVING THIS ARGUMENT? BUYING ME A WEDDING BAND TO SHOW THE WORLD I MARRIED YOU? WHAT IS IT, RUTHIE!"  
"MARRYING YOU!" Ruthie screamed back at the top of her lungs.  
Martin's facial expression changed immediately, as his face went from anger to shock and hurt.  
"Ruthie, I..."  
"Don't talk to me..." Ruthie said, crying her eyes out. "I really don't want to talk to you right now."  
"Ruth, all married couples have fights..."  
"Well then...maybe we shouldn't have gotten married..." Ruthie said quietly, crying and heading for the stairs.  
"Ruth..." Martin said, as Ruthie headed upstairs.  
Ruthie slammed her bedroom door, as Martin began to cry.  
Martin grabbed his car keys on the island, and headed out the door.

Martin walked into a bar, ordering a beer. He never drank, but he was hurt.  
Hurt because his wife was angry at him. Hurt because he wasn't with his kids.  
Hurt because his wife had told him that their marraige was a mistake.  
"Hi," a perky blonde woman said, sitting down beside Martin.  
Martin smiled, taking another swig of his beer, grimacing as he did.  
"You don't look too happy. Somethin' wrong?"  
Martin almost told her about his fight with Ruthie, but instead, slipped his wedding band into his pocket.  
"Nope, I'm alright. What's your name?"   
"Laura, yours?" she asked, twirling her hair.  
"Martin, nice to meet you. Want a drink? I'll buy," Martin said, looking at her.  
"No thanks...I'm drunk enough," she said with a laugh.  
Martin laughed with her, noticing the skimpy skirt and halter top she was wearing.  
_This is wrong... _Martin thought, but he continued to provoke her.  
"So...got a boyfriend?"  
"Nope. Girlfriend?" Laura asked.   
_Got a wife and three kids, _he thought.  
"Nope," Martin said, feeling guilty.

Laura and Martin had been talking for an hour, and Martin, although his conscience told him not to, offered an offer he'd regret.  
"Wanna head upstairs?" Martin asked, drunk and not knowing what hit him.  
"Yeah...except there is no upstairs. My place is across the street..." Laura said, just as drunk as Martin.  
Martin grabbed Laura's hand, and led her across the street, into Laura's apartment.  
They stood in the doorway for a few minutes, until Laura spoke up.  
"Wanna go to the bedroom?" Laura asked.  
Martin's head was flaring with thoughts, but he answered, "Yeah, sure."  
They walked into the bedroom, as Laura locked the door.  
She moved closer to him, as he walked towards her, pushing her back against the wall.  
He ran his hand up and down her arm, as he leaned in to kiss her...

HA HA HA! 


	23. Chap 21 I just think about you leaving

Martin leaned into kiss Laura, as she pulled him by the neck.  
"I...I can't..." Martin said, pulling away.  
"What? C'mon! I haven't had anything good in over a week!" Laura whined, helplessly drunk.  
"I'm married. To a beautiful woman. I have three kids, one of them was born just a week ago. My wife, my kids don't deserve this. I can't believe I've been gone this long. I've gotta go," Martin said, running out the door.  
He ran across the street, waiting patiently for his minivan to unlock, started it, and began his drive home, to his wife.

Ruthie had been in her bedroom, looking up at the ceiling. She was still crying, even hours after her fight with Martin.  
"I'm sorry, Martin," she said to herself. "I'm so sorry...I didn't mean any of it," Ruthie said, crying.  
She didn't know where Martin had gone, but she had a bad feeling about it. She knew that what she had said had hurt him, and it caused her to worry even more.  
She heard the garage door being raised, and ran downstairs into the garage.  
It was pouring down rain, as Ruthie opened the door, leading into her garage.  
She saw that Martin had stopped the van in the driveway, and he stepped out, becoming quite wet as the rain fell on him.  
"I'm sorry, baby. After what I almost did tonight, I..."  
"Martin, I don't care. I didn't mean any of what I said. I do love you, and our marraige was the best thing we ever did," Ruthie said, stepping out into the rain.  
"I love you, Ruthie," Martin said, his hair dripping, as the rain continued to pour.  
"I love you, too," Ruthie said, not knowing which drops of water were her tears and which were the rain.  
They stood there, staring at one another, until Ruthie couldn't stand it any longer.  
Ruthie ran to Martin, and kissed him, as the rain continued to fall around them.  
"I love you...so much. I almost...I came close to..." Martin stuttered, crying, holding Ruthie's head in his hands.  
"I don't care, Martin. You're all that matters."   
Martin pulled Ruthie's face to him, kissing her passionately. Ruthie jumped up, as Martin held her by her thighs, continuing to kiss her. He pulled away again, dripping wet, as was Ruthie.  
"I love you."  
Ruthie responded by pulling him close again, kissing him in the rain.

Martin and Ruthie had gone inside, changed, and were sitting in the living room, as Ruthie dozed off on Martin's shoulder, as he had his arm around her.  
"Ruthie, you awake?" Martin asked.  
"Yeah, babe. Missin' the kids?" Ruthie asked, sitting up.  
"Yeah. Remind me why we left our one-week old son with your mother?"   
"Well...you thought we'd be having a fun night."   
Martin smiled.  
"Ruth, I need to talk to you. Get this off my chest, so to speak."  
"Okay," Ruthie said. She gasped mockingly. "Are you pregnant?"  
Martin laughed. "Yes, I am. I'm just worried about the labor, though. Where will it come out?"  
Ruthie and Martin laughed for a while, until Martin nudged Ruthie, signaling that he was ready to speak.  
"What you said really hurt. I actually thought that we'd be one of those couples that fight for years, and end up divorcing long after we should have. I was scared, worried that we'd have the type of marraige that Mary and Carlos had for a while. So, I went out to a bar."  
"You don't drink," Ruthie said, stating the obvious.  
"I know. I was hurt, worried sick, and I wasn't thinking straight. So, I had a few drinks, and met this girl..."  
"Oh my god...you...you cheated...you cheated on me!"  
"No! Ruthie, I'd never do that. I met her, and asked her if she'd like to go upstairs. Then, we ended up at her apartment, and went into her bedroom. I got ready to kiss her, but I couldn't do it. I love you too much to do anything to hurt you or our kids. So...I told her that I had a wife, and three kids who didn't deserve the idiot that I was being. So, I left."  
Ruthie was crying. "Well, I'm glad you left, but how do I know that you won't do it again?" Ruthie asked.  
Martin realized he'd struck a nerve that would never heal. "I never wanted to do it. I just felt hurt...didn't wanna end up like your sister. I thought that maybe it was the end of our marraige. I was scared...that's the only fight we've had since we started...dating, even. It was really awkward. Especially since what you said..."  
"Okay...I shouldn't have said what I did. I didn't mean it at all. I'm sorry, Martin. Tell you what...let's go get the kids, and call it even. I wanna be with our kids tonight," Ruthie said.  
"We'll never be able to call it even, but we should go get the kids. I miss 'em, too," Martin said.  
"What time is it?" Ruthie asked.  
"Ha..didn't even think about that. It's almost three in the morning. Wanna get them later?"  
Ruthie flashed a smile, and pounced on Martin.  
Laying on top of him, he kissed him, pushing him farther into the couch. He kissed her back, as she reached for his belt, unbuckling it.  
"Want me to carry you?" Martin said, breathlessly.  
Martin didn't wait for an answer, as he grabbed his wife and headed for their stairs. He carried her, still kissing her, into their bedroom, and laid her down on the bed.   
He pressed himself against her, reaching for her shirt.  
"Martin, can you use protection? I don't wanna get pregnant again..." Ruthie said, still unbuttoning Martin's shirt.  
"Whatever, babe. Now...pipe down," Martin said, as he kissed her.

"Mom!" Ruthie yelled.  
She and Martin entered the Camden household, ready to take their children home.  
"Mommy! Daddy!" Abby yelled, running to her father.  
Martin picked her up, smiling and talking with her. It was hard to believe that his twins would be two years old in just three months.  
"Mommy!" Keith said, running to his mother. Ruthie picked him up, handing him to Martin, so that she could grab Matt from his grandfather's arms.  
"How's he been?" Ruthie asked.  
"Well, unlike the uncle he's named after, he's a fantastic sleeper," Eric said with a laugh.   
Ruthie and Martin laughed with him, as Martin nodded, which was his way of saying, "Hi, Dad...thanks for keeping our kids last night so I could sleep with your daughter."  
(He didn't really say that...that's just what the nod meant..)  
The Camdens and Brewers continued to talk for a while, but eventually, Ruthie and Martin were in their van, ready to head home.  
"Okay..who wants ice cream?" Martin said.  
"Me! Me!" Keith and Abby screamed.  
"Waaa!" Matt replied.

The Brewer family had finished their ice cream, and were sitting on the park bench, watching their children play on the jungle gym.  
"Well, I think we've done pretty well for ourselves," Martin said.   
"Whaddaya mean, babe?" Ruthie asked, looking at Matt's big blue eyes.  
"I mean, we've done all this, and we're still able to afford lots of things," Martin said, glancing in Ruthie's direction.  
"You mean, you're making enough money to support us?" Ruthie asked, eyeing Martin suspiciously.  
"We're making more than enough. You have to trust me," Martin said.  
"I do trust you," Ruthie said, handing Matt to Martin.  
"Good," Martin said, holding his third child. "Wow...he looks just like you," Martin said, looking briefly at his wife.  
"No he doesn't!" Ruthie protested. "He's got your smile. Keith does, too," Ruthie said.  
"Well...he may have my smile, but every other feature of him is too gorgeous to have come from me," Martin said.  
"Nice try, Martin," Ruthie said, laughing, as she glanced down at her watch.  
"Ya think we should head home?" Martin asked, noticing Ruthie's wrist pop up.  
"Yeah, if we want to feed them dinner, we'd better. Plus, Matt needs to take a nap," Ruthie said, standing up with the diaper bag on her shoulder.  
As she stood, she saw someone walking towards them.   
"Oh my god...Martin," Ruthie said.  
"What? What is..."  
"It can't be, can it?" Ruthie asked.   
"You'd better pray it's not...otherwise, I'm going to prison," Martin said, his facial expression becoming threatening.  
"For what?" Ruthie asked.  
"Murder," Martin answered.

"Martin? Ruthie?" the man asked.  
Martin eyed him, not taking his death glare anywhere else.  
"Mac, what the hell are you doing here?"  
"Nice to see you, too. Ruthie, is he yours?" Mac asked.  
"Yes, he is. Two weeks tomorrow," Ruthie answered, trying to hide herself behind Martin.  
"He's adorable," he said, looking up to the glare on Martin's face.   
"Look, I'm really sorry for what I did. I know that you'll never trust me again, and I'm having to live with that. I'm a registered sex offender, especially since I was charged with the Laci and Connor law. So...can we at least sit down and talk?" Mac asked.  
Martin looked to Ruthie, who looked back at him.  
"Yeah, I guess," Martin said.

"How many kids do you two have now?" Mac asked.  
"Three. A pair of twins, and this one," Martin said, pointing to Matt, yet never taking his eyes off Mac.  
"How old are they?" Mac asked, trying to ignore Martin's constant gaze.  
"The twins will be two in three months, and we already told you how old Matt is."  
"Isn't Matt your brother's name?" Mac asked, addressing Ruthie.  
"Yeah, we named him after his uncle," Ruthie said.  
Mac nodded, and noticed the death glare still on Martin's face.  
"Dude, what's with the lethal weapon? I swear...if looks could kill, I'd be dead right now," Mac said.  
"Oh, believe me, that can be arranged," Martin said, growing angrier.  
Mac and Martin stared at each other for another minute, until Martin lost it.  
"Mac, why are you here? You're not getting my wife! You've already had her, so why are you back? I've got three kids, and you've got a strap around your ankle, so the cops know where you are at all times. What did you come back for?" Martin asked, standing.  
"Martin, sit..." Ruthie said, her intuition sending warning signals.   
"Alright, I'll go," Mac said, getting up and walking away.  
_That was too easy, _Martin thought, realizing something was fishy.  
Suddenly, Mac turned around, with a gun in his hand.  
"Martin, I tried to get things back to an...well, an UNDERSTANDABLE level, where we'd be able to at least talk to each other in a civil manner. However, that seems impossible," Mac said, his hand shaking as he held the gun.   
"Ruth, get the kids...into the car," Martin said, as he remained as still as possible.  
"Mac! Stop it! HE'S A FATHER! HE'S MY HUSBAND! THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT THAT! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?" Ruthie yelled.  
Mac's face was turning bright red, as his finger seemed to curl around the trigger.  
Ruthie was bawling now, as the twins watched in horror.  
"Ruthie...get the kids...in the car," Martin said, worried about his wife and kids.  
_Why aren't there people at the park when you need them to be? _Martin thought, realizing the park was empty, as were the streets surrounding it.  
"Mac, please...just let us go. It'll save you..." Martin said, cut off by Mac's hideous laugh.  
"I don't think so. I've already pulled the gun. It'd be a shame not to use it."  
Martin couldn't believe what he was hearing. Mac had actually threatened to kill their entire family if he had to.   
"Mac," Martin said, walking towards him.  
Mac pointed the gun to Ruthie, who was holding a crying Matt in her arms. She gasped, continuing to cry, whimpering for her son's life and her own.  
Martin turned to face Ruthie, and then turned around, looking Mac in the eye.  
"Please, Mac. I'm begging you..." Martin said, crying tears of fear now. "Please don't shoot her. I love her so much..please," Martin said, desperately trying to get Mac to put away the gun.  
"I'm not going to do that," Mac said, getting the gun ready for a shot.  
"Please!" Martin yelled, lunging for the gun.  
There was a gunshot heard, as Mac and Martin scrambled. As soon as Martin heard it, he knew who'd been hit.  
"RUTHIE!" Martin yelled, running to his wife, lying on the ground, bleeding.  
She'd been shot in the stomach, and her eyes were closing.  
"RUTHIE! RUTHIE! BABY, HANG ON!" Martin screamed, close to breaking down.  
He grabbed his cell phone, dialing 9-1-1.  
"My wife has been shot! My wife was shot! Crockett Park! Please...hurry!" Martin yelled.  
He turned around, realizing that Mac was gone. His attention immediately went back to Ruthie.  
"Baby, hang on...hang on..." Martin said, as sirens sounded.


	24. Chap 22 Tough Times

Martin was pacing the waiting room floor. His wife had been in surgery for an hour, and the kids were with Annie and Eric, in a seperate waiting room with the rest of the extended Camden family.  
"Mr. Brewer?"  
Martin stopped pacing immediately. "Yes? Is Ruthie okay?"  
Dr. Malone smiled. "She'll be just fine," he answered.  
Martin sighed, relieved. He sank into a chair. "Thank you, God...thank you, Lord..." Martin prayed, crying tears of joy.  
"She wasn't shot in the stomach like we first thought. She was thought in the thigh, so there wasn't too much damage to her or the baby," Dr. Malone said.  
"Oh, thank...WHAT! THE BABY!" Martin yelled.  
Dr. Maloney laughed. "Your son, Matt?" the doctor reminded him.   
"Oh...thank God," Martin said, relieved that he hadn't gotten her pregnant again already. He then realized that this was near impossible, seeing as she'd given birth two weeks ago.  
"Would you like to see her?" Dr. Maloney asked.  
"Yeah. I'll go tell her family first," Martin said, shaking the doctor's hand. 

Martin walked into the adjacent waiting room, where a silent Camden family was waiting. Annie was the first to jump up.  
"Is Ruthie okay? Have you heard anything? Is she out of surgery? How are you feeling?"  
Martin gave a small laugh, finding Annie's worry quite humorous.  
"She's fine. She was shot in the thigh, and since the gun was deflected, it didn't penetrate too far," Martin said, unable to stop smiling.  
"Oh, I was so worried! It's by God's grace that she's alright," Annie said, tearing up.   
Martin nodded, noticing Lucy holding his son, as the twins slept on the shoulders of Simon and Matt.  
Martin smiled, as Lucy handed Matt to him, suddenly realizing that Kevin wasn't in the room.   
"Where's Kevin?" Martin asked.  
"Didn't Mom tell you? He's driving Mac to the police station," Lucy answered.  
"They found him? Oh man...too many emotions," Martin said.  
Lucy laughed, as Martin watched Cecilia talking with Simon.  
"Cecilia, how are you?" Martin asked, giving her a hug.  
Simon and Cecilia didn't come into town very often, simply because Cecilia was still taking college courses, so couldn't be away for long.  
"I'm great. The baby's fine, too," Cecilia said, putting her hand on her stomach.  
Cecilia was getting close to two months now, and was due in May of the following year, which would be 2008.  
"I completely forgot about that! How's Simon doing?" Martin asked, joking.  
"He's alright. He's reading stories every night, sticking headphones to my stomach so the baby can hear Mozart. He said that it's supposed to make them smarter. I think it's just a reason to get me to stop talking about college," Cecilia said with a laugh.  
Martin laughed with her. He and Cecilia had finally made it past the awkwardness, he realized, and was happy about that.  
"We can go see her now," Martin said, realizing that his wife was probably waiting on him. He looked at the clock, noticing he'd spent almost half an hour talking to the family.  
The Camdens, Kinkirks, Riveras, and Brewers filed out of the room, and went to see Ruthie.

"Ruth? Baby, you up?" Martin said, opening the door slowly.  
He saw Ruthie sitting up in her bed, with her leg bandaged. She'd been shot in her left thigh, but her entire leg had been put in a cast to help stabalize it.  
"Martin! Oh my god, I was so scared!" Ruthie yelled, starting to cry.  
Martin ran to her, kissing, hugging, kissing, hugging, and kissing her over and over again, crying with her. "I know, baby. I know," he repeated.   
"Mommy! Mommy ok?" Keith asked with innocence.  
Ruthie smiled. "Mommy's just fine. Her leg is broken, but in six weeks, it'll be all better," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Ruthie was handed Matt, as she cried harder, holding him.  
"I can't believe I held him when...Mac...when he..." Ruthie said, crying so hard that she was unable to speak.  
"I know, Ruth. Look, Kevin's taking him to the police station right now. He got caught," Martin said.  
"He's not a bad guy. Why would he do something like that?" Ruthie asked.  
"I know. Mac's like my brother. Around the time that he raped you, his dad died," Martin said.  
Ruthie's right hand flew to her mouth, since her left was holding a sleeping Matt. "Why didn't you tell me?" Ruthie asked.  
"I was almost afraid to really talk with you about anything, especially since we'd slept together. It was uncomfortable, and when I found out he'd raped you, I forgot all about my sympathy for him. Now, I feel more sympathy for him than ever," Martin said, stroking Ruthie's hair.  
"We're gonna be okay, right Martin?" Ruthie asked.  
"What do you mean, Ruth? Of course we'll be okay," Martin answered, becoming confused.  
"Didn't Dr. Maloney tell you? We may not be able to have anymore kids," Ruthie said, crying.  
Martin's heart fell. "Wha..what?" Martin asked.  
"Dr. Maloney said that a piece of the bullet hit some nerve or vessel or something-or-other near my uterus. I may...we may not be able to conceive anymore," Ruthie said, tears falling.  
"Are you serious?" Martin asked, worried that he may never have another child.  
A small smile crept onto Ruthie's face. "You are such a baby," Ruthie said, laughing.  
Martin was even more confused now. "Wait, were you kidding? That wasn't funny, Ruth," Martin yelled, noticing that he was laughing along with her.  
"Yes, I was kidding. No more kids for now...wait a year or so," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Little did they know that what they were discussing as a joke, was being discussed in all seriousness out in the hall.

"Lucy!" Eric yelled.  
"Yeah, Dad?" Lucy answered, coming in from the hallway, where she was talking with Kevin, who'd arrived after Mac had been taken in.   
"Kevin said you wanted to tell us something. You know that I, as your father, am VERY anxious to know what it is. What is it?" Eric asked.  
Lucy's smile faded. "Um...you want us to tell you now?"  
Eric looked at his daughter. "What is it?"   
"Um..Kevin...can you tell him?" Lucy asked.  
"Lucy and I went to the doctor, because we've been trying to have another baby, and couldn't. So...he told us that Lucy's uterus isn't able to perform...like clockwork, so to speak," Kevin said, trying not to cry in front of his father-in-law and wife.  
Eric looked at Lucy, who's hand was covering her mouth, crying.  
"What about Savannah?" Eric asked.  
"She was the lucky one. The doctor says that since we've already conceived and had a successful birth once, there's a good possibility we'll have another. It's just...we won't have too many more. The doctor said that since we haven't gotten pregnant in over three years, there's a slight possibility that Luce won't be able to carry a baby to term anymore," Kevin said, giving up and crying.  
Eric's eyes were becoming red and puffy. "If God allows, you'll have another," Eric said, realizing that was all he could say.  
Kevin and Lucy nodded, as Eric hugged the two.

"Ruth, when will they let you come home?" Martin asked.  
"They said two days, and then I'm on crutches for five weeks. Not too bad, seeing as how I could've died," Ruthie said, giving a weak smile.  
Martin smiled back. "You didn't, though. You're still here, with me," Martin said.  
"Conmigo," Carlos said.  
"What?" Martin asked, turning to face Carlos.  
"Conmigo, it means 'with me' in Spanish," Carlos replied, smiling.  
Martin smiled. "You're still here, conmigo," Martin said, looking Ruthie in the eyes. He kissed her, realizing that, had things gone differently, he may never have been able to do that again. He kissed her with more gentle passion than he ever had, and pulled away slowly.  
"I love you, Martin," Ruthie said, smiling.  
"I love you, too, Ruth," Martin answered.

"Ruthie, Dr. Maloney said I can take you home. You ready?"  
Martin walked into the hospital room, watching as Ruthie talked to her two and a half week old son.  
"Mommy loves you so much. Yes she does, yes she does! You're such a cute baby! Yes you are, yes you are," Ruthie continued, sounding like a four year old with a speech problem. Otherwise, sounding like her twin brothers at that age.  
Martin stood, smiling in the door frame. It amazed him how much of a motherly glow his wife possessed, yet it amazed him more how he'd never noticed it.  
"Ruth, did you hear me?" he said softly, just loud enough for her to hear him.  
Ruthie looked up. "Hey, baby! What'd you say?"  
Martin smiled. "Dr. Maloney said I can take you home. You ready?"  
Ruthie's eyes brightened. "Yes! I'm sick of bland white walls," Ruthie said, throwing her hands up in disgust.  
Martin laughed. "The house isn't much better. We still have to paint it."  
Ruthie nodded. "When are we going to paint it?" Ruthie asked.   
"How about once you're off crutches, and your son is a bit older than two weeks. Even though I'm sure that a two week old wouldn't mind the smell of paint fumes," Martin noted, laughing.   
Ruthie laughed with him, as Martin took Matt, putting him in his car seat.  
"Babe, can you help me up?" Ruthie asked, sitting at the edge of her bed.  
"Yeah, sure," Martin answered, helping Ruthie stand on her right foot.  
Once Ruthie was on her crutches, Martin kissed her. "I love you," Martin said.  
"Love you, too. Next time you do that, warn me. You'll make my knees buckle, and I'll fall on my bad leg," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Martin laughed with her, pecking her forehead with his lips. He grabbed Matt's car seat, and walked out the door. 

"Keith, what do you want for your birthday?" Lucy asked.  
The Brewers had stopped by Kevin and Lucy's house, which was only a few houses down from where Martin and Ruthie lived. Kevin and Lucy had been watching the twins overnight, so Martin and Ruthie were picking the twins up.  
"Truck," Keith said, smiling.  
"You want a truck? What kind of truck?" Lucy asked, over-exaggerating it.  
"Dumper truck," Keith answered excitedly.  
"Who wants a dumper truck?" Kevin asked, walking in with Abby in his arms.  
"Keith wants a dump truck for his birthday, Uncle Kevin," Lucy said, smiling as she turned around.  
"No! A DUMPER truck!" Keith exclaimed, finding it exciting to point out his aunt's stupidity.  
Lucy rolled her eyes. "You're right. He wants a dumper truck, Uncle Kevin," Lucy said, laughing.  
Martin walked in, Matt sleeping in his arms, with Ruthie hopping behind him.  
"You ready to go home, guys?" Martin asked, bending down to the twins' level.   
"Can we stay with Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lucy?" Abby asked, still being held by Kevin.  
"I don't think..." Ruthie started.  
"No, Ruthie, go ahead. We'll keep the twins tonight. You and Martin need some time to get used to the crutches," Kevin offered.  
"I need time to get used to them. Martin doesn't need time for anything," Ruthie said, laughing.  
Martin laughed along with them, as he helped Ruthie stand up.  
"Are you sure? They stayed last night," Ruthie stated.  
"Ruthie, don't worry about it. We'll watch the twins tonight. You need some time with Matt, anyway," Lucy reasoned.  
Ruthie debated it with herself, but realized she needed some time to focus on her newborn.  
"Alright. Martin, can you grab Matt's diaper bag?"   
Martin picked the bag up, giving his children kisses as he did, and stood back up.  
"Thank you," he told Kevin, who nodded in return.  
Martin and Ruthie gave one last goodbye to their children, as Martin put Matt in the car, throwing the diaper bag in with him. He then helped Ruthie down the front porch to the car, helping her inside.  
"You alright? Do you need me to slide your seat back farther?" Martin asked, pointing out that her leg couldn't fully stretch out.  
"Yeah, could ya?" Ruthie asked, rubbing her calf.  
Martin slid the passenger seat back until Ruthie's leg was able to sit a bit easier.  
"Thanks, babe," Ruthie said, starting to drift off to sleep in the seat.   
Martin chuckled to himself, watching as both mother and son started to doze off together, and smiled.  
"I love you, baby," Martin said softly, as he kissed Ruthie's forehead.


	25. Chap 23 Flashbacks

Ruthie, lying in her bedroom, looked at the picture on her bedside table. It was one taken not too long ago of the twins. Ruthie remembered the day that it was taken.

_"Ruth, grab the twins!" Martin yelled from outside.  
He waited five minutes, as a very pregnant Ruthie waddled out, the twins following behind her.  
"What'd you want, babe?" Ruthie asked.  
"Get the twins to stand on the porch. I'm gonna take their picture in front of their new house," Martin answered, smiling at his children.  
"Martin, don't you wanna wait 'til this one's born?" Ruthie asked, referring to their then unborn baby.  
"We don't have a recent picture of the twins. Let's go ahead and take one," Martin replied, crouching to see if he could fit the twins in the shot.   
"Alright, Ruth. Come stand by me," Martin said, laughing as Ruthie made a face.  
"Fine..scoot to the side," Martin said with a laugh.  
Ruthie did as she was told, as Martin snapped the photo. _

Ruthie smiled, remembering the huge grins the twins had. She then thought back to everything those twins had been through. This led her back even farther...to the night they were conceived.

_"Mom, can I PLEASE go! Martin's going, and he promised to keep an eye on me. You can trust me, right?" Ruthie pleaded.  
Ruthie had been invited to her first "high school" party, and was aching to go. She'd been begging her mother constantly during the day, and she was hoping that Annie would give in sometime soon. If she wanted to go, she'd have to start getting ready soon.  
"Ruthie, do you really want to go?" Annie asked.  
Ruthie looked at her mother, dumbfounded. "No, I'm just begging you to go for the fun of bugging you," Ruthie said sarcastically.  
Annie sighed. "As long as Martin knows where you are at all times, you can go," Annie said, bracing herself for what would come next.  
"YES!" Ruthie screeched, as she dashed up the stairs.  
"Martin! Martin!" Ruthie yelled, knocking on his door.  
Martin opened it, shirtless, and in blue jeans.  
"Damn..." Ruthie said, quietly to herself.  
Martin smiled. "Hey, Ruthie. What's up?" he asked, pulling a plain, white t-shirt over his head, covering his chiseled torso, including his eight-pack. (I can dream, can't I?)   
"Mom said I could go to the party with you!" Ruthie yelled, more excited than she'd ever been.  
Martin laughed at her innocence. "I'm glad. You'd better start getting ready," Martin said, looking at his watch. "It starts in two hours," Martin said, stating what Ruthie already knew.  
"What are you saying?" Ruthie asked mockingly.  
"That it will be an absolute miracle if you're ready in two hours," Martin said, laughing.  
Ruthie smiled, hugging him. "Thanks," she said.  
"For what?" Martin asked, looking down at Ruthie's face.  
"Getting Lindsay to invite me," Ruthie answered.  
Martin smiled. "I didn't do that. I just told you that she invited you," Martin said, smiling.  
Ruthie laughed. "I know you too well, Martin Brewer," she said, pulling herself from Martin.  
Martin felt slightly disappointed as he slipped his arms from around her waist.  
"See you in two hours," Ruthie called over her shoulder.  
Martin smiled, shutting his door. _

Ruthie found it funny how innocent and young she'd been then. Ruthie was now halfway to twenty, and Martin was nearing twenty-two. It amazed Ruthie that almost five years ago, one night changed their lives.

_Ruthie walked into the party, wearing a black halter top, hip hugger jeans, and some pointed-toe black boots. Around her shoulders was a light gray jacket, fitting her waist perfectly. She was wearing gobs of makeup, still, but had actually laid off of some of it that night.  
She walked in next to Martin, wearing his blue jeans, white t-shirt, and tennis shoes.  
"You look great," Vincent said, walking over to Ruthie.  
"Thanks," Ruthie said, smiling back at him. She glanced in Martin's direction to see if he was watching, and to her disappointment, he didn't appear to.  
"Martin, is Zoe coming?" Ruthie asked, trying not to sound too interested.  
"No, she's out of town this weekend," Martin answered, nodding in Vincent's direction as he said it.  
Ruthie nodded. "Wanna get a drink?" Vincent asked.  
"What is there?" Ruthie asked.  
Vincent looked at Martin, and Ruthie caught the message. They stepped to the side, and Vincent told her all that was there was beer.  
"Want me to grab you a couple?" Vincent asked.   
Ruthie noticed the faint smell of alcohol on Vincent's breath. "Have you been drinking?" Ruthie asked.  
"Just a little. There's nothing else TO drink here," Vincent answered, his words becoming slightly slurred.  
Ruthie became disgusted with him, and walked back to where they'd left Martin. Noticing he wasn't there, she tried to find him. _

"Hey baby, what're you doing?" Martin asked, walking in from Matt's nursery.   
"Remembering our first time," Ruthie answered.  
Martin smiled. "That was amazing," he said, remembering how Ruthie had found him that night.

_"Martin!" Ruthie yelled.  
She'd finally found him, sitting in a corner.  
"Where's Vincent?" he asked.  
"He's been drinking. I couldn't stand his breath," she answered, scrunching her nose up.  
Martin laughed at the face she made. "Come here, we might be able to hear each other," Martin yelled, over the blaring music.   
"Huh!" Ruthie yelled.  
Martin smiled, grabbing her hand. He started to head up the stairs, but stopped and turned around. Noticing how he and Ruthie were holding hands, he looked her in the eyes. She didn't appear to have a problem with it, so Martin kept walking up the stairs.  
Once inside an empty bedroom, they were able to hear each other a bit better.  
"Martin, is there anything to drink besides alcohol?" Ruthie asked, parched.   
Martin handed her a water bottle that he had in his pocket. "Always take one with you to a party like this," Martin said, as Ruthie downed the liquid.  
"I'll remember that," Ruthie answered, wiping her chin.  
Martin smiled. "You look...amazing tonight, Ruth," Martin said, looking down at his hands, avoiding eye contact with her.  
"Thanks. You look pretty good yourself," Ruthie replied.  
Martin smiled, looking up at her. "Sit down. We need to talk," Martin said, scooting over so Ruthie could sit at the edge of the bed.   
Ruthie sat down, looking Martin in the eyes, trying to read his expression.  
"Martin, what's..." Ruthie started.   
Martin hushed her, as he looked up at her, into her eyes.  
They sat staring at each other for a few seconds, as Martin rubbed her cheek affectionately.  
"Hey, Ruth," Martin started, his voice cracking like a schoolgirl's.  
"Yeah," she said, unable to move, as Martin continued to stroke her cheek.  
"I...I think I might love you," he said in one breath.  
Ruthie's heart swelled. "Really?"  
Martin nodded, unable to utter another word.  
"I think I feel the same way," Ruthie answered, smiling wider than she ever had.  
Martin smiled. "Good. Now, I won't feel so stupid," Martin said, with a nervous laugh.   
Ruthie laughed with him.  
"Can I...kiss you?" Martin asked.  
Ruthie nodded, thinking about her boyfriend downstairs. Martin thought about his girlfriend, out visiting her grandparents in God-knows-where. He didn't care...she didn't either. _

"What was going through your mind?" Martin asked.  
He and Ruthie were now laying on the bed together, as Martin stroked Ruthie's arm.   
"That I was about to kiss the man I loved. That and...please don't puke on yourself...I was nervous," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Martin laughed along with her, as Ruthie started to tell the story again.

_Martin started to lean in, hesitantly. Ruthie sat still, as Martin came closer to her. When they were face to face, she smiled.  
Martin smiled back, pulling her mouth to his. He kissed her, and Ruthie felt overpowered. Fireworks exploded in her head, as she felt Martin's hand start to graze her back.  
She put her arms around his neck, kissing him deeper. The kiss became more passionate, as Ruthie ended up sitting in his lap.  
She was still wearing her jacket, as Martin slipped his hands inside the arms of it. He slipped it down her arms, until it was on the floor.   
"Wait..." Ruthie said, pulling away.  
Martin, trying to catch a breath, pulled back.  
"What are we doing?" Ruthie asked Martin. She was asking herself the same question in her head, as Martin answered her.  
"Making out, nothing more," Martin answered.  
"Martin, you took my jacket off," Ruthie said, gesturing towards the jacket on the floor.  
Martin sighed. "It was an impulse movement. I'm not trying to get you to sleep with me," he said. "I'm waiting until I'm married," he added.  
Ruthie grinned, looking down at Martin's arms, still around her waist.  
"What?" Martin asked, noticing the grin on her face.  
"I just...sometimes I would think about what this would've been like. But...it's nothing like the real deal," Ruthie said, looking at his eyes.  
Martin smiled. "I dreamed about this every night. Now, it's finally here," he said, laughing.  
Ruthie pulled his head back to hers. The kiss started out slow and gentle, but grew to be more passionate and heavy.  
"What if..." Ruthie started, in between the kisses Martin was placing on her neck.  
"What if what?" Martin asked.  
"What if this becomes something more..." Ruthie asked, as Martin stopped kissing her.  
He looked deep into her eyes, as though he was searching for something.  
"Do you want it to?" he asked.  
Ruthie was caught off guard by the question. A million thoughts ran through her head, but only one was voiced.  
"Yeah..." she answered, hesitantly.  
That was the only word Martin needed. He pulled her back, kissing her on her neck, face, and mouth.  
Ruthie, still kissing him, lifted his t-shirt over his head.  
Martin started to attempt taking off her halter top, until he realized...he didn't know how.  
"Damn, Ruth. How do you get this stupid thing off?" he asked.  
Ruthie laughed. She pulled it off for him, as Martin looked at her.  
"What? Am I that fat?" she asked.  
Martin smiled. "You're just...gorgeous...all over," he answered.  
Ruthie kissed him again, slipping her boots off as the two fell back onto the bed.   
Ruthie laid on top of Martin, as he slipped his tennis shoes off.   
He reached for her jeans, searching her eyes as he did. She gave him the okay with her eyes, and he slipped them off. She slipped his jeans off, and it was then that their twins were conceived. _

"What were you thinking about when I took my shirt off?" Ruthie asked, laughing at the memory of it.  
"I was thinking...that if we didn't go through with it, I'd be screwed, because I'd already seen you half-naked," he answered.  
Ruthie knew that wasn't it, but laughed anyway, as Martin joined her.

"Martin, do you think we would've gotten together, even if I didn't get pregnant?" Ruthie asked, knowing what the answer would be.   
"Ruthie, I love you so much, that sleeping with you was an added bonus," Martin replied with a laugh.  
"Since when did you become so interested in sleeping with me? You always said that people should stick to their values, no matter what they are, and yet you abandoned yours. Why?" Ruthie asked.  
"Because...I loved you. God works in mysterious ways, Ruth," Martin answered.   
Ruthie nodded, knowing all too well that what Martin said was true.

_"Martin, what time is it?" Ruthie asked.   
"Damn...I've got fifteen minutes to get you home," he answered, hurriedly pulling his shirt over his head.  
Ruthie, already dressed, sat at the foot of the bed. "Martin...what did we just do?" Ruthie asked, looking up at him.  
Martin stopped moving. "We just let everyone we know down...including ourselves," he answered, feeling as guilty as Ruthie.   
"Martin...do you really love me?" she asked.  
"Of course, Ruthie. Why would I go against all my beliefs, all my values, and sleep with you if I didn't love you?" he countered.  
Ruthie smiled. "We can't tell anyone," she noted, with a look of dismay on her face.  
"I know, sweetie. Look...one of these days, maybe we'll find a good time to date and let your family know that we love each other. Right now...you and I both have someone that we pretend to care about," Martin said with a slight chuckle.  
"Vincent's no longer in the picture, Martin. I can't trust him. He's turning into Peter," she said, remembering the time that Peter was caught drinking.  
Martin, who'd never met Peter, (right?) had no clue what she was talking about, but smiled anyway.  
"Okay...ten minutes. Let's go," he said, standing up from the bed.  
"Martin..." Ruthie started.   
Martin, knowing what she wanted, kissed her, with more passion than Martin knew he had.  
"Now we have seven minutes," Martin said with a laugh. "Let's go!" he yelled, yanking Ruthie's hand.  
Ruthie smiled, as she and Martin drove home. It was her last smile for a long while. _

"Martin, why do you think we were so...upbeat afterwards? I mean, we'd just let down EVERYBODY we'd ever come in contact with, and we were still laughing and joking around," Ruthie pointed out.  
"Maybe we knew that it wouldn't be a one time thing," Martin answered. 

_"Ruthie, you alright in there? Do you need some Sprite and crackers?" Annie asked worriedly.  
"I'm fine, Mom. Thanks," Ruthie answered, struggling to keep herself from vomiting again.  
Ruthie was worried. It had been two weeks since she and Martin had slept together, and since then, they hadn't said two words to each other. The most contact they gave each other was looking up at the other entering the room. It tore Ruthie up, knowing what they'd done. She'd made a mistake, and she knew, deep down, that she was paying the ultimate price for it.  
"God, please help me...help my family to understand, Lord. I don't know how I can do this," Ruthie whimpered, crying.  
"Ruthie." Martin's gentle voice came from the bathroom door.  
"Come in," Ruthie answered, praying that no one was outside the door besides him.  
Martin walked in, looking at her sympathetically.   
"You alright, baby?" Martin asked.  
"Baby!" Ruthie exclaimed, caught off guard by the pet name.  
Martin smiled. "I love you," he said, laughing.  
Ruthie smiled. She didn't feel sick when she was within ten feet of Martin. As soon as he'd move away, she'd feel awful again.  
"I think I have the flu. Alyssa had it last week," Ruthie lied.  
"I hope you get to feeling better. It hurts to watch you...bleh," he said, mimicking the sounds he'd heard from the door.  
Ruthie laughed, as she felt another wave of nausea overpower her. _

"And you had no clue I was pregnant?" Ruthie asked.  
"Not a one. I think I was too afraid to even consider that possibility," Martin said with a laugh.

_"Hi," Ruthie said, putting her merchandise on the counter.  
"Hi," the cashier answered.  
A pregnancy test made it's way down the belt, as the cashier looked at Ruthie.  
"This for you, sweetie?" the woman asked.  
Ruthie nodded, smiling weakly.  
The woman smiled. "Did the same thing at your age. Got myself a beautiful daughter. Don't worry about your family...they'll love you anyway," the woman said with a smile.  
Ruthie smiled back. She thanked the cashier, grabbed the bag, and ran out the door. _

_Ruthie walked into a RadioShack next door. Her family didn't have cell phones, or any up-to-date electronics for that matter, so there was no possible chance of seeing a member of her family there.  
Ruthie locked herself in a stall, and took the box out of the plastic sack. She read the instructions, and took the test, knowing deep down what the answer would be. _

"Geez, babe. How scared were you?" Martin asked.  
"Pretty damn scared. I knew I was pregnant. It was just a matter of confirming it," Ruthie answered.

_Ruthie waited impatiently for five minutes. She sat and prayed, asking God to help her with whatever was ahead of her. She prayed that Martin would help her. She prayed that her family would still love her. Most of all, she prayed for the strength to get through it all.  
Five minutes had passed, and Ruthie took a deep breath, praying one last prayer. She looked at the easy-read test, with one long word that Ruthie dreaded. _

"What did you do when you found out?" Martin asked, now more interested in the story, since this part he didn't know. Ruthie smiled, and continued.

_Pregnant. That's what Ruthie Ryann Camden had gotten herself into. She was pregnant from a one night stand. It was something that she never thought she'd have to deal with. Yet here she was, looking at a test, telling her that in nine months, she'd be a mother at the age of sixteen.  
"God...what the hell did I get myself into?" she asked, crying.  
"How will I tell my family? Martin? I can't raise a kid...I'm still a kid," Ruthie yelled to no one in particular.  
Ruthie sat and cried for the next few minutes, and finally gained enough composure to walk out the door. _

"Did you regret it?" Martin asked.  
Ruthie smiled. "Before I found out I was pregnant, I felt like I was on cloud nine. When I found out I was pregnant, I felt I'd made a huge mistake. Now...I think that it was one of my favorite and best mistakes I've ever made," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Martin smiled, kissing her. "Finish," he commanded.

_"Ruthie, are you coming to Danielle's party?" Alyssa asked excitedly.  
Ruthie smiled. "Yeah," she answered. She knew that she and Martin would have time to talk, without the inevitable interruptions of her family that she'd find at the house.  
Ruthie knew Alyssa sensed something was wrong. Ruthie was trying her best to hide it, and refused to tell anyone. She was falling into denial, faster than she was falling in love with Martin. _

"Then...the party..." Martin said, knowing what would come next.

_Ruthie walked into the party, wearing a black skirt, red strappy sandals, and a red top. She waltzed in with Martin, since Vincent wasn't invited, but was grounded anyway.   
"Martin, can we talk?" Ruthie asked.  
Martin nodded, following Ruthie to the stairs. They were stopped by Mac, walking up and deciding to have a chat, causing Ruthie to become anxious.  
"Hey, Martin. Ruthie...you look good."  
"Thanks," Ruthie said, smiling the fakest smile she could muster.  
Mac smiled back, obviously not catching the hint.  
"Are you two a couple now?" Mac asked, noticing the direction the two had been headed.  
Ruthie looked down, signaling Martin to come up with an answer.   
"No...we're not," Martin answered. It didn't convince Mac, so he refused to let it go.  
"Did you two sleep together or something?" Mac asked, thinking that he was kidding.  
Ruthie ran up the stairs, crying. This was not how she needed her night to go. She didn't know how Martin would answer, but prayed that Mac would believe whatever Martin came up with. He wasn't one for lying, but Martin knew the only thing to do in their situation was lie. _

"You never told me what you told Mac," Ruthie noted.  
Martin smiled. "I told him that it was your "week," Martin said with a laugh.  
Ruthie laughed harder than she had in a long time. "You seriously told him that?" Ruthie asked, wondering how stupid Mac had to be to believe that.  
"No. I told him that you'd just found out that your friend was "deathly ill, and you were upset," Martin said.  
"Martin Brewer, you lie like a dog," Ruthie said with a laugh.

_"Ruthie, you okay?" Mac asked, walking into the bedroom where Ruthie was crying.  
"Where's Martin?" she asked, ignoring Mac's question.  
"He's downstairs. I asked if I could talk to you for a minute. How's your friend?" he asked. _

"So that's why he asked how my friend was. I was confused," Ruthie said with a laugh.

_"Fine last time I checked," Ruthie answered, becoming confused.  
Ruthie excused herself, walking into the bathroom. She took a second test, confirming, once again, that she was pregnant. She walked out, ready to tell the father. She expected Mac to be gone, but instead, was pushed onto the bed by him.  
"Mac, what the hell are you doing?" Ruthie yelled, attempting to get out from under him.  
"Shut up. You're gonna love this," Mac said.  
Ruthie noticed the alcohol on his breath, and prayed for Martin to find her. He didn't, though. Not until after the damage was done. _

"He seriously just pounced on you? Randomnly?" Martin asked.  
"Yep. The funny thing was...I wasn't scared of being raped. I was worried about the baby. That was the one time since I'd found out I was pregnant that I actually acknowlegded it."  
Martin smiled, waiting for Ruthie to finish.

_Mac had left, leaving Ruthie to sit and cry. Martin walked in, minutes after Mac had left.  
"Hey, baby," Martin said, sitting beside her.  
Ruthie cringed at the word 'baby,' but tried to ignore it.  
"Ruthie, I don't think we should mention our sleeping together. I don't know why you pulled me up here, but I don't think we need to do it again. We shouldn't have done it in the first place. I'm sorry, sweetie. You alright?" Martin asked.  
Ruthie nodded, walking back downstairs, and into Martin's car. She waited, as Martin finally found her, and drove her home. _

"Then the next day is when you offered the peanuts," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Martin nodded. "That was the lousiest excuse I'd ever heard, by the way," Martin said, laughing.  
Ruthie slapped him playfully, as Martin sat up.  
"I haven't called you sweetie in forever," he realized.  
"That's because you call me babe, baby, and a bunch of other words that I'll let you say out loud," Ruthie said with a laugh.  
Martin smiled, jumping on her. Ruthie let out a squeal, as Martin started kissing her.


	26. Chap 24 Heart to Heart

The Brewer family was loading their minivan full of Christmas presents. The entire Camden family was in town for Christmas this year, so there were two times the presents they usually had.  
"Hey, babe!" Martin yelled, as he entered the house for the thirtieth time.   
"Yeah?"  
"Where's the present for your parents?" Martin yelled up the stairs.  
"In the living room!" she answered.  
The Camden children had all chipped in for a present for their parents. Ruthie and Martin had been given the responsibility of buying the present.  
Martin found it on the couch, freshly wrapped. He picked it up, walking out to the van.   
Setting it down on the driveway, he realized there was hardly anywhere to put it. Since they were only going a couple blocks away, two trips sounded crazy.  
Ruthie walked out, holding a now four-month old Matt. She laughed, as she saw Martin scratching his head, trying to figure out how to get the gift in the car.  
"Havin' trouble, baby?" Ruthie asked, as the twins, now two years old, ran out of the house.  
"Yeah. Can we rent a U-Haul trailer to drive over there?" Martin asked.  
Ruthie laughed. "Why don't I just call Lucy and see if they can swing by and stuff this in their suburban?"  
Martin sighed. "Why didn't I think of that?" Martin wondered out loud.  
"I'm the smarter one. I thought we established that the day we met," Ruthie laughed.   
Martin smiled, taking Matt from her arms.  
"Keith, Ab, ready to go to Grandpa and Grandma Camden's?" Martin asked.  
The two jumped up and down excitedly, running into the van.  
Martin laughed, as he sat Matt down in his car seat, buckling it.  
Ruthie walked out, shutting the front door behind her. "Lucy said the three of them will swing by and grab it."  
"How far away are they?" Martin asked, sliding the revolving door on the van.   
"They were just leaving, why?" Ruthie answered.  
"I don't wanna leave it here on the driveway," Martin replied, as though Ruthie should've known that.  
"Martin, they're on their way. I think we'll be fine. Look, they're coming now anyway," Ruthie said, as she moved so the Kinkirk vehicle could pull in.   
"Hey, Ruth," Kevin waved, as he got out, and opened the tailgate in back.  
"Hi. Are you sure you have room?" Ruthie thought out loud, as she saw the back filled with presents.   
"Give it here," Kevin said, taking the present from her.  
Kevin miraculously found a spare spot, with a little rearranging, and shut the door.  
"Thanks," Ruthie smiled.  
"You're welcome. See ya in two minutes," Kevin chuckled.  
Ruthie laughed, as she got into the van with Martin.   
"Did he get it in there? Or are we sending it by UPS, FedEx, or...OOH! The postal service!"  
Ruthie laughed. "He got it in there. I don't know how, but he did," Ruthie said, smoothing her hair in the mirror.  
Martin waited as Kevin backed out of the driveway, watching Kevin drive off.  
Martin backed the van up, and followed him.

"Eric! The Kinkirks and Brewers are here!" Annie yelled.  
The two families exchanged hugs with Eric and Annie, and found seats in the living room.  
"Matt and Mary aren't here yet?" Lucy asked.  
"Carlos and Mary's plane doesn't get in for another half hour, and Matt and Sarah are about fifteen minutes away. They just called," Annie replied.  
Lucy nodded, as Savannah ran up to her.  
"Mommy, can I go play with Abby?"  
Lucy smiled. "Of course you can. Be nice, okay sweetie?"  
"I will, Mommy."   
Savannah bounded up the stairs, with a laughing Abby behind her.   
"Are you two thinking of having any more?" Annie asked.   
Eric was the only one who knew of Kevin and Lucy's fertility problem. Lucy tried to answer without telling her secret.  
"We'd like to, but I don't know if we will," she answered with a smile.  
Matt and Sarah walked in, as Tyler followed. Keith and Tyler ran off as soon as they'd found each other, causing their parents to laugh.  
There were more greetings exchanged, as Matt asked to see his nephew.  
Ruthie took him to the couch, where Martin was holding him. Matt and Martin exchanged a quick handshake, as Matt marveled at his namesake. His eyes started to glisten, as Matt was allowed to hold him.  
"Dude, are you gonna cry every time you see him?" Martin laughed.  
"Shut up, Martin. You married a smart alec, Ruthie," Matt said with a laugh.  
"I know. I love him, though. I'm tellin' you what...you do stupid things for love," Ruthie smiled, as Martin made a spot for her on the couch. Ruthie sat, as Martin put his arm around her shoulders.  
The two listened as Matt talked to their son.  
"You're such a cute baby. You look just like your mommy, which may not be good, since they say you're a boy," Matt said.  
Martin and Ruthie laughed. "Well, you're name is Matt. We figured we could get away with naming that one Matt," Martin said with a laugh.  
Matt obviously didn't understand. "Matt, he means that it's a wonder you were named Matt. He's making a sarcastic remark, as he always does," Ruthie explained.  
Matt still didn't understand.   
"He's calling you a girl!" Ruthie yelled, hoping it would get through to him.  
Matt's eyes narrowed. "Martin Brewer, you are mine," Matt said.  
"Didn't know you were that way, but alright," Martin said, laughing.  
Matt smiled. "Shut up," he said, laughing.

All the presents had been opened, with the exception of the one the Camden children had bought for their parents.  
"Ready for the last one?" Carlos asked.  
Eric and Annie looked up.  
"I guess. Who's it for?" Eric asked.  
"It's for both of you," Martin answered, handing it to his father-in-law.  
Eric took it from Martin, ushering a quick thank you, and handed it to Annie to open.  
She tore the wrapping paper off, and gasped as she saw what was inside.  
It was a framed family tree, starting with Eric and Annie. It branched off into their seven children, all the way down to the twins. Beside each of the twins was an empty space for their future wives.  
It then branched off into their six grandchildren, with a blank space under Simon and Cecilia, for a picture of their soon-coming baby.  
"It's beautiful!" Annie exclaimed, crying.  
She marveled at the beauty of it. Every member of the family had the same smile. Eric was the first to speak.  
"Who should we thank?" he asked.  
"We all pitched in. So..all of us," Matt answered, laughing with the rest of the Camden family.  
"Dad, we may have to add another spot," Kevin said.  
Eric looked up, with a questioning look on his face.   
"Lucy's pregnant," Kevin said, grinning.  
Eric, knowing of their problem, was happier for them than the rest of the family.  
"That's great! How long have you known?" Eric asked.  
"We found out today. The doctor said she's about a month along. She's due in August," Kevin said, speaking for his wife.  
"Congratulations," Cecilia said, now four months along.  
Lucy nodded a quick thank you to Cecilia, looking at her dad.  
He met her in the foyer, as the rest of the family looked at the family tree.  
"What if we lose the baby? What do we tell them?" Lucy asked.  
"Lucy, you're going to be fine. You have to think positive. The minute that you lose faith, is the minute you'll lose hope. That will be the minute you lose the baby," Eric answered.  
Lucy smiled, nodding. "It's just different, ya know? When we had Savannah, we didn't know about the problem, so we weren't worried about anything. Now, we have to think about what'll happen if we lose the baby," Lucy said, looking up at her dad.  
"You'll be fine, Lucy."  
Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Dad," she replied, giving him a hug.

Martin and Ruthie had put the kids in bed, and were getting ready for bed themselves. Carlos and Mary were staying the night in their house, and Matt and Sarah were staying at the parsonage. The phone rang at 10:30, and Ruthie went to pick it up.  
"Hello?" she answered.  
"Ruth, Dad had a heart attack," Matt yelled, obviously scared.  
Ruthie felt like she'd fall over, so sat on the bed to keep her balance.  
"What?" she asked, hoping she'd heard wrong.  
"Dad had a heart attack. Mom went up to find him, because he said he was going to get a book for Sarah to read, and he didn't come back down," Matt said, hysterical.  
"Oh my god. Did they take him to regional?" she asked, referring to the hospital.  
"Yeah. They just left. We're following the ambulance right now."  
Ruthie hung up the phone, as Martin walked out of the bathroom.  
"Who was it, babe?"  
"Dad had a heart attack," she answered.  
Martin stopped moving.   
"What?"  
"My dad just had a heart attack. Get the kids. I'll get Carlos and Mary. I'm sure Matt called Lucy already," Ruthie said, not really talking to anyone.  
Martin ran down the hall, grabbing the sleeping twins, and rushing them down to the van. He ran back up the stairs, as he heard Mary scream, after being told the news. He grabbed a sleeping Matt, and put him in the van.  
Mary and Carlos ran into their car, holding their son.   
Ruthie followed them, and barely made it into the van before Martin drove off.

"Mom! Where's Dad? Where's Dad?" Ruthie yelled.  
The Brewers and Riveras had arrived at the same time as the Kinkirk family, so Annie was being asked thousands of questions at once.  
"Stop! The last time I heard anything about your dad was when they told me he'd had a heart attack. I don't know anything more than that," Annie answered, her face tear-stained with new tears rolling.  
"Mom, I'm so sorry," Carlos said, hugging her.  
Annie had been waiting for a shoulder to cry on, and let it out as Carlos hugged her. He just kept hugging her, telling her that her husband would be fine.  
"We've been here too many times," Ruthie said, talking to Martin.  
"Yeah, we have. We ought to just move here, since we visit so often," Martin said, attempting to lighten Ruthie's mood a little bit.  
It didn't help, as Ruthie continued to cry. Martin pulled her into his chest, kissing her forehead.  
"It'll be alright, babe. You can't lose faith," Martin whispered.  
"If you lose faith, you lose hope. That's when Dad will die," Lucy finished.  
"What?" Martin asked.  
"Nothing. Just something Daddy told me," Lucy said, realizing that she hadn't called her father "Daddy" in years.  
"Kevin, why now? I thought I'd have him here to help with this pregnancy, especially since he's the only one that knows about our problem. Why?" Lucy asked, while she cried on Kevin's shoulder.  
"Lucy, he'll be okay. Don't worry," Kevin whispered to her.  
The Camden family sat in the waiting room, holding one another, feeling as though they were in an alternate universe where their father didn't exist. How would they go on without their father? The one who'd always been there to renew their faith, the man who they'd loved since day one, the man who had never let anything happen to them. How could they make it without their pillar of strength?

"Mrs. Camden?"  
"Oh...is my husband okay? Please tell me he's alright!" Annie wailed.   
"Mrs. Camden, your husband is in a coma. His brain isn't getting the blood supply that he needs, because his heart isn't functioning properly. We're giving him a week. In that week, if he wakes up from his coma, he has a good chance at surviving. If not, there's a good chance that he...that he won't make it. I'm so sorry," the doctor said.  
Annie stood still, refusing to speak or move. She was in shock, and fell into a chair behind her.   
The Camden women all found their respectful husbands, looking to them for comfort. The original Camden sons were crying just as hard as the women, and soon the room erupted with sobs coming from everyone but the younger children, who didn't know what was going on.   
"I'm so sorry. I'll give you some time alone," Dr. Elliot said as he walked out.  
"Mom, I'm so sorry," Sarah said, hugging her mother-in-law. Annie appeared to need the most comforting, so her family continued to hug her, rub her back, dry her tears, and cry with her.  
"Do you think we'll be able to see him?" Lucy asked.  
"I don't know that I'd want to. To see him like that...it might be too hard. I don't think I can do it," Annie said.  
"What if it's the...last?" Lucy muttered, knowing the entire family was thinking the same thing.   
Annie looked up. "Can somebody go ask the doctor?"   
Martin stood up, walking out to him. He said a few things, nodded a couple times, and walked back inside.  
"We can see him." 

Annie was the first to walk in the room.  
"Eric, honey. Please wake up...Eric," Annie pleaded, hugging her husband.  
The family made their way into the room, realizing they'd have to take shifts, since the size of the room couldn't accomodate for the size of the family.  
"Dad!" Lucy screamed, as she ran to her father.  
Eric's eyes seemed to flutter, but he didn't wake. Lucy was worried that she wouldn't make it through pregnancy without her father. This may be her last shot at a child, and she wanted her father there.

Annie was staying at the hospital with Eric, and she'd sent the rest of the children home. Martin and Ruthie, having the largest house besides the parsonage, had invited the family to stay the night at their house. Everyone had accepted, so their brothers, sisters, brothers and sisters-in-law, nieces and nephews were all staying at the Brewer home. They now had a full house, but didn't mind. None of them wanted to be alone tonight.  
All the children had been put to bed while the adults stayed up, sitting in the family room and kitchen, not talking about anything. They sat in silence, knowing that if one word were uttered, it could destroy them, and bring another fresh batch of tears.  
Matt and Sarah sat in an armchair, holding each other as a stray tear ran down their cheeks every few minutes.  
Carlos and Mary were on the love seat, staring into space, not noticing anything around them.  
Kevin and Lucy sat on one half of the couch, crying with Simon and Cecilia, who took up the other half.  
Martin and Ruthie were in another chair. Ruthie sat in Martin's lap, as she cried with him.  
"There are so many things Dad hasn't seen yet. Why does he have to go and do this now?" Mary asked.  
The family didn't answer, because there wasn't a good one to voice. They realized that if their dad didn't pull through, their lives would be much more different than they'd ever thought. He'd never be able to see Lucy's baby if it came...would never meet Simon and Cecilia's expected arrival...wouldn't ever see his twins sons get married...and would never meet his twins children.  
They all wondered if they'd be able to get through it. The doctors said their father was still alive. Yet, they already felt like he'd passed away. Their father, who was always so full of life, with a kind smile and helping hand, was now lying lifeless on a rickety old bed.  
One by one, they trickled up to their rooms, trying to get their minds off the occurrences of the night, yet no one could sleep. Their minds would constantly wander, thinking about their parents, their lives, and realizing how much they actually loved their father. Each of them prayed a small, simple prayer to the heavens that night. They needed their father...life without him was unimaginable.

"Morning, sweetie," Martin whispered.  
Ruthie rolled over, kissing Martin.  
"Morning to you, too. Did you sleep any?" Ruthie asked.  
"Not a wink. You didn't sleep any either, did you?"  
"Nope. It's impossible. My dad's in a coma. How am I supposed to sleep?"  
"Ruthie, you're forgetting something. If your dad doesn't wake up today..."  
Ruthie gasped, suddenly remembering.  
Today was the deadline. It had been one week since their father had slipped into a coma. If he didn't wake up today, there was a high chance he may never wake.  
"Martin, we need to go to the hospital. I need to be with Dad, if this is the last..."  
Ruthie couldn't finish her sentence, but didn't need to. Martin kissed her, walking into his closet.  
He came back out dressed, waiting for Ruthie to get her hair pulled back.  
They walked downstairs, and it appeared they were the last ones to get up.   
"Morning," Simon muttered, hugging Ruthie.  
Ruthie smiled back, pouring herself a cup of coffee.  
If this were a normal morning, Martin would've reminded her that she didn't drink coffee. This morning was different, however, and no one bothered to mention it.  
"Did Mom stay at the hospital again?" Martin asked.  
"Yeah. She stopped by last night, and thought about staying, but couldn't do it. She slept over again," Lucy answered.  
"I'm worried about her. What if Dad doesn't..." Matt said, not needing to finish.  
"Why are we all thinking like that? The one thing we need right now is faith. What has Dad taught us?" Mary yelled, not allowing anyone to answer.  
"Dad taught us to be strong. He taught us to make every day count. He's taught us to never lose our faith in God, in miracles, and in life. So why are we all sitting here, worrying about everything? Dad's going to be fine, as long as we stay strong for him and Mom. Mom needs us to stay strong for her...we need her to stay strong for us."  
The house was silent, knowing that what Mary said was true. Their father had always been the one to help them stand strong...now they were the ones that would have to return the favor. 

"Mom, any change?" Simon asked, walking into his father's hospital room.  
"He has some brain activity, so that's a good sign. I'm praying that we get more of the same," Annie said quietly, her eyes red and puffy, and her voice hoarse from her crying.  
"Hey, Mom," Mary whispered, giving her a hug.  
Annie welcomed the hugs from her family, taking her husband's hand in hers.  
"Mom, come sit in the waiting room with us. We've got one closed off for us. You need some time to breathe," Cecilia said, rubbing Annie's shoulder.  
"No. I need to stay with him," Annie defiantly replied.  
"Mom, come on. Even if it's just for a few minutes. The doctor needs some time to talk with us, anyway," Simon argued.  
Annie reluctantly stood, kissing her husband's cheek. She walked out the door, escorted by her children.  
Martin and Ruthie were in the waiting room, with all the children.  
"Mom, how are you?" Ruthie asked, standing to give her mother a hug.  
Annie looked much older. The spark in her eyes was gone, as was the usual smile that graced her face.  
"Mom, you look awful," Martin said, giving her a hug.  
"It's nice to be surrounded by family," Annie whispered, weakly smiling.  
"Mrs. Camden? Can I speak with you alone?" Dr. Elliot asked.  
"No. We're all family here. We all need to know what's going on," Annie said, with more strength than anything she'd said in a long time.  
"Very well, then. I'm sure you know that today is the deadline for your husband to come out of his coma. If he doesn't wake up today, his chances of survival are slim. With that said, I'd like to give you some good news."  
The family's spirits brightened, waiting on the doctor's next word.  
"Eric's brain is starting to develop activity. That's a good sign, showing that his heart appears to be functioning better than it has in a long time. It's actually working better than it was before he had the attack."   
Annie began to cry tears of joy. "That is great news. Will he wake up?" she asked, speaking for the rest of the family.   
"His chances are at it's greatest today. In all my years of dealing with men in Eric's situation, he's the only one who's developed the activity so soon that he has. I can honestly say that from personal experience, there is a much greater chance of him waking up today."  
Annie hugged the doctor, thanking him. Dr. Elliot smiled, leaving the family to talk amongst themselves.  
"All we can do now is pray," Lucy said, grabbing Kevin and Savannah's hand.  
The family joined hands, letting the children join, and bowed their heads, closing their eyes.  
They prayed out loud, letting Annie lead the prayer. Each of them gave a small prayer, raising their heads when they finished. Each of them felt much more relaxed and faithful afterwards. They all knew their father was in God's hands...and none of them would've had it any other way. 

"Mrs. Camden, I need to talk with all of you."  
The family had been in the waiting room all day. Some had fallen asleep, and some were awake, while some were serving as pillows for the sleeping children and adults.  
"What is it? Is Eric alright?" Annie asked, praying another silent prayer.  
"Mrs. Camden, your husband is awake. He's out of the coma, but he's still not out of the clear. We need to keep him here for a while, just to be sure. I know this has been a traumatic ordeal for all of you, but I think this is the end of it," Dr. Elliot said.  
"Ruthie, Ruthie!" Martin yelled, shaking his sleeping wife off his shoulder.  
"What?" she asked, obviously perturbed.  
"Dad woke up. He's out of his coma, Ruth!" Martin yelled, hugging his crying wife.  
"Can we see him?" Lucy asked, still hugging her husband.  
The Camden family didn't wait for an answer, as they ran to Eric's room. Faith had gotten them this far. Now, faith was all they needed to get their father home.


	27. Chap 25 Promises

"Mom, I'll stay here with the kids. You go see Dad," Lucy offered.

Annie looked bewildered. "Are you crazy? He's your father, he'll want to see you! Now come on. Cecilia already offered to stay with the kids," Annie replied, pulling Lucy's wrist.

"No, Mom. I want to talk to him alone, if that's okay."

Annie's eyes softened. "Alright. I know this has been hard on you, but I still don't see why you can't come with us," Annie whispered, letting Lucy's wrist go.

Lucy weakly smiled, as her mother walked with the rest of the family down the hall.

"Eric, are you up?"

Annie walked in, followed by her children, waiting on her husband's eyes to open.

"Annie," Eric whispered.

Annie gave her husband a tearful hug, as the rest of the family looked on. Each of them teared up, as they watched the love and adoration that had kept their parents together for years become evident in the way they were greeting each other once again.

The rest of the family exchanged hugs with their father, being careful to avoid his IV.

"Where's Lucy?" Eric whispered, his voice raspy.

"She wanted to speak with you alone. We were so worried about you, Eric," Annie whispered.

Eric allowed his wife to give him a quick kiss on the cheek, smiling as she did.

"I've missed that," Eric rasped, smiling.

Martin smiled, kissing Ruthie's forehead.

"I've missed that, too," Ruthie whispered.

"What?"

"You. Us. We've been so worried about Dad, we haven't paid much attention to our relationship, or our four-month son. I've missed that," Ruthie repeated.

Martin grinned. "I can arrange something, I guess. How does a honeymoon sound?"

Ruthie gasped, smiling. She and Martin walked with the rest of the family back to the waiting room, and continued their conversation.

"Where are we going?" Ruthie asked, taking Matt from Lucy's arms.

"Well, how would you feel about going to the Bahamas?"

Ruthie smiled wider than she had in a long time. "We're going to the Bahamas? Really?" Ruthie squealed, sounding like the fifteen year old she used to be.

Martin laughed. "Yep. We leave on Wednesday, so you have a whole four and a half days to pack. I'm sure you'll make it," Martin said, eyeing his wife.

Ruthie smiled, giving her husband a one armed hug. "Thank you. I can't wait. What do we do about the kids?"

"Ah, the young'uns. Well, they're coming with us," Martin whispered, kissing her cheek.

"We're going to bring them? How much does this cost? Wait...they're in a different room, right?" Ruthie asked, with a sly smile.

"Yes, they are. I reserved the honeymoon suite, and we're putting the kids in the small nursery that's connected to our room."

"They have a nursery connected to the honeymoon suite?" Ruthie asked, finding it odd.

"Not necessarily. I've reserved three cribs, and we're going to stick them in the main room, so it'll become the nursery," Martin answered, stroking Ruthie's arm.

She smiled. "Alright, as long as our kids can come," Ruthie replied, smiling.

Martin lightly kissed her, asking to hold his son. Ruthie handed him over, kissing her son as she did.

"Dad, it's Lucy," she whispered, walking in the room.

Eric looked up, hearing his daughter's voice.

"Lucy, why did you want to talk to me alone? Is something wrong with the baby?" Eric rasped, his voice slightly stronger.

"No, the baby's fine, as far as I know. I just wanted to talk to you. I wanted to know if I could do the sermon this Sunday. I know you won't be up to it, but even before the attack, I wanted to ask. I have a sermon that I've worked on, and after this happened, it became the perfect one for Sunday. So, can I?" Lucy pleaded.

"Of course you can. What's it on?" Eric's voice was becoming much stronger now, and was no longer raspy.

"Well, it's about how there are so many times when we can lose faith. About how there are times when we feel there's no hope for us, but God is always there, so we needn't lose faith. It talks about how even in the most desperate of times, we should never lose faith, because it's the one thing that keeps us going. That which doesn't kill us makes us stronger, and it's by faith that we get through it," Lucy noted, trying to summarize her three-page sermon.

Eric smiled. "It's perfect," he whispered, bringing Lucy's hand to his mouth, lightly kissing it.

"Let me feel my grandchild," he commanded, as a laughing Lucy let him put his hand on her stomach.

They sat there for a while, in silence, thinking about how lucky there were to be in the presence of each other.

"I love you, Daddy," Lucy whispered, smiling.

"I love you too, Lucy."

"Cecilia, did you set an appointment up with Dr. Bernstein yet?" Simon asked, turning his head towards his wife.

Cecilia, lightly sleeping on his shoulder, didn't respond. Simon smiled to himself, looking around the room, noticing he seemed to be the only one awake.

"C, wake up," Simon whispered, stroking the hair out of Cecilia's face.

Cecilia murmured something, opening her eyes.

"Simon, what time is it?" she whispered, stretching her arms out.

"It's time for you to tell me if you scheduled an appointment with Dr. Bernstein yet. Did you?"

Cecilia's eyes widened. "Simon, we have an appointment tomorrow. I completely forgot!" Cecilia yelled, hitting her head with her palm.

Members of the family stirred, none of them waking, so Simon continued his conversation.

"You didn't tell me about the appointment tomorrow? Why?"

"I'm sorry, Simon. With your dad going into the hospital, I completely forgot! We have to get back to San Francisco, and fast, too," Cecilia muttered, desperately trying not to raise her voice.

"C, can't you just reschedule?"

"No. I already pulled enough strings to try and get this appointment. Plus, we're going to find out if we're having a girl or boy. I want to find out as soon as possible," Cecilia mentioned, with a slight pout of her lip.

Simon laid back, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Maybe we can get a flight back. That's our best bet."

"Simon, with all the security checkpoints and airport traffic, you and I both know we'll be cutting it close. Maybe we should just wait until my fifth month. It's only one more..."

Simon cut her off. "No, C. Look, we can make it if we leave now. I'm sure they'll have a flight to San Francisco sooner or later," Simon said, standing.

"We're leaving now? What about your dad?"

"He's fine, C. Let me just tell my mom, and then we'll leave. Here," Simon called, throwing the keys to Cecilia, "start the car. I'll be there in a minute," he whispered.

Cecilia nodded, walking towards the exit.

"Mom, Mom wake up a minute," Simon whispered, knowing his mother would be in a horrible mood.

"What?" she snarled.

"Cecilia and I have to leave. She has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and can't miss it, because she can't reschedule, so...it's a long doctor's appointment story. We have to go, so I'll call you when we get home, alright Mom?"

Annie seemed perturbed, so Simon backed up a few feet.

"Call us when your plane lands, hon," Annie whispered, with a slight growl in her voice.

Simon couldn't help but smile. "Alright, Mom. Bye, love you," Simon called over his shoulder, walking out the door.

Annie rolled her eyes, laying her head back down on Matt's shoulder.

"Cecilia, why are we flying all the way back to San Francisco?"

"Um, because I have an appointment. I thought we discussed this," Cecilia said, with a look on her face that meant trouble.

"I know that. But we're moving to Glenoak soon, anyway. Why not just get our records transferred? You and I both know that we'll just fly back here after the appointment. What's the point?"

"Simon," Cecilia pouted, "you and I both also know that it will take months to get those records transferred. If we do transfer our records, we have to get a new doctor, and wait another month. How about we just fly there, go to the appointment, and fly back?" Cecilia asked.

She and Simon were now on the freeway, headed towards the airport.

"Alright. After this one's born, we're transferring the records. Got it?"

"Fine with me, hon," Cecilia said, relaxing in her chair.

Simon smiled, grabbing his wife's hand. "We're gonna be parents," he whispered, kissing her palm.

"I know. Can you believe it?" Cecilia said excitedly.

Simon chuckled to himself, taking the airport exit.

"Martin, you awake?" Ruthie whispered, stretching her arms out, one of them hitting her husband.

"Geez, Ruth. I'm awake now," Martin yelled, waking the rest of the family up.

Ruthie laughed at her husband's outburst, taking her son out of the playpen the hospital had loaned her.

Numerous words and noises were heard, as the waiting room seemed to awaken. None of the Camdens were morning people, so therefore, it wasn't a pleasant few minutes.

"Mom, why don't you go see how Dad's doing?" Mary asked, setting Charlie in her lap.

"What time is it?" Annie asked, yawning.

Carlos glanced at his watch. "It's almost nine, I'm sure he's awake."

Annie smiled, standing up. "Nope," she muttered, sitting back down.

Lucy laughed. "Woozy there, Mom?"

Kevin snickered with her. "Just give her a minute, Luce."

Annie made several more feeble attempts at standing, and finally, on the twentieth try, she was able to make it to her husband's room.

"Eric, sweetie, you up?"

Annie softly shut the door behind her, walking to her husband's bedside. He was awake, watching TV when she entered.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you feelin'?"

Eric smiled, shutting the TV off. "I'm better, thanks. My voice sounds better, so I'm guessing that my heart's got enough power in it to give me my pulpit voice back."

Annie smiled, wider than she had in days. "Good. Any word on when they'll let you come home?"

"I talked with Dr. Elliot, and he said he'll let me go home in two days, if I continue to improve."

Annie seemed a bit disappointed. "I was hoping you'd come home sooner, but if that's what the doctor says, then that's what I'll go by," she said, with a final breath of relief.

Eric gave a sympathetic smile. "I want to come home, too. I just had a heart attack, though, and I'd rather be fully recovered than come home and risk another attack," he whispered, motioning for his wife to sit beside him.

"I know that. I just wish that you'd be able to come home. It's been different here. Not just because it's a hospital, but because you're not there to help me through it. I felt so alone," Annie whispered, ashamed of the last sentence.

"You shouldn't ever feel alone, Annie. You aren't ever alone. What if I had died, what would you have done?"

"I would never have greeted the day, that's for sure," Annie said, hoping it was taken as a joke. She knew Eric wouldn't feel the same way about it.

"Annie, one of these days, I'm going to die. When that day comes, you've got to go on with your life. Promise me that you will," Eric pleaded.

Annie bit her lip. "You make it sound as if you're going to die soon," she said, looking at the floor.

"Annie, I'm staying here with you as long as God allows. I can't tell you when I'll leave, but I want you to promise me, that when my time comes, you'll get out of bed in the morning. That you'll continue to be a mother, and give the same love and care to your children and grandchildren. Promise me, Annie," Eric said, holding his wife's hand.

Annie raised her head, revealing falling tears. "Alright," she whispered.

"Ruthie, I think we need to go. We've gotta pack for the honeymoon, and plus, the kids need to get home. They've been in the hospital for almost a week," Martin reasoned.

Ruthie looked up from her cooing son. "Yeah, we'd better. Can you round up the twins?"

Martin nodded, walking over to where the Camden grandchildren were playing "Duck, Duck, Goose."

"Ab, Keith, c'mon. We need to go," Martin said, reaching for his daughter's waist.

"No, Daddy! Five more minutes!" Keith yelled, looking at his father with his big, brown eyes.

Martin was always at a fault when his son looked at him like that.

"Martin, don't worry about it. Lucy and I can drop them off in a bit," Kevin said, laughing as Savannah became the goose.

Martin smiled. "Thanks, Kev. How long will you be?"

"Not too much longer. We're aching to get home, too," Kevin whispered, trying not to let his daughter hear.

Martin nodded, laughing. "Thanks again," Martin waved, as he walked out with Ruthie.

"Simon, where's our car?"

Simon and Cecilia had made it to San Francisco, and still had time to get to the hospital, fifteen minutes away. Yet, with the size of the parking lot, they could end up late.

"Um, C3? F2? I don't know, you were supposed to remember," Simon said with annoyance.

"You expected a pregnant woman to remember? That's good, because I wrote it down," Cecilia said, smirking at the reaction that came across Simon's face.

"E5. Let's go."

"Martin, where's Matt's bottle?" Ruthie asked, digging around in the diaper bag.

Martin reached into the glove compartment, finding a spare bottle. "Here, you can put formula in there, can't you?"

Ruthie gave him a look. "I'm still breast-feeding him. I was just asking, because I think we're missing one," she said, going back to searching the bag.

Martin pulled out his cell phone, calling his brother-in-law.

"Carlos, did Ruthie and I leave a baby bottle there? What does it look like, Ruth?"

Ruthie described the bottle, as Martin mimicked what she said into his phone. After a few grunts, and a thanks, he hung up.

"He said it's there, and he and Mary are coming home anyway, so they'll bring it with them," Martin said, smiling at his wife.

"Aw, crap. I totally forgot everybody was staying at our house. Wait, where's Simon and Cecilia? I don't remember seeing them when we left."

"Your mom said they left early this morning. They've got an appointment today, and couldn't miss it, so they had to fly out," Martin said, pulling into their driveway.

Ruthie slid the door back, taking her son from his seat. "Open the garage," she threw over her shoulder.

Martin did as he was told, hitting the programmed button on the visor.

"Mr. and Mrs. Camden, how are we today?"

"A little jet lagged, but we're alright," Cecilia chuckled.

Dr. Bernstein, a wise man in his sixties, smiled. "Good. Your charts seem normal, so I'll just do a routine check and tell you the sex of the baby. You want to know, correct?"

"Yes, we do," Simon answered.

Dr. Bernstein nodded, beginning his work.

After about ten minutes, he finally asked the question the two wanted to hear.

"Would you like to know the sex of your child?"

"Yes!" Simon and Cecilia answered in unison.

"Well, it seems here that you two will be having a baby girl," Dr. Bernstein said, pulling the monitor closer so they could see.

"A girl?" Cecilia asked, her eyes beginning to moisten.

"Congratulations. I'll give you a minute to look at the pictures here," Dr. Bernstein said, walking out of the room.

"We're gonna have a girl, C. We're having a daughter," Simon whispered, his voice too squeaky to be used properly.

Simon and his wife shared a quick, but memorable kiss. They would be the proud parents of a baby girl in just five months. It seemed so far away, yet they both knew it would fly by.

"Ruthie, a lot of people are here!" Martin called up the stairs. He'd become too lazy to name all the people coming through his front door, so went with the easiest, laziest answer he could muster.

Ruthie walked down the stairs, smiling. "Keith, Abby, what do you say to Uncle Kevin and Aunt Lucy for your ride home?"

"Thank you," they yelled, giving their aunt and uncle a hug.

The Riveras came in behind the Kinkirks, with Matt and Sarah, along with Tyler, not far behind.

"Well, should we attempt to get everybody's things in their rooms?" Martin yelled, trying to quiet the foyer down a bit.

Laughter was heard, as the family trudged themselves upstairs. Martin smiled, as his wife came up beside him. He slid his arm over her shoulders, watching as Tyler climbed the last stair.

"I'm always gonna be here for you, Ruth. No matter what happens," Martin whispered.

"I know. I'll do the same for you," she whispered in return.

"Promise?"

"Promise," Ruthie answered.


	28. Chap 26 Baby Names & Tofu

"Ruthie wants to know if you and I could go out and get some plastic cups and plates for tonight. Luce, can you...Luce?"

Kevin noticed his wife staring out the window, not paying any attention to what he was saying.

"Lucy, what's wrong?"

"What? Sorry, I didn't hear you. What'd you ask, honey?"

"Lucy, why have you been so distant lately?"

"I'm just worried about the baby. I worry that everything I do will have some impact on it. It's just really stressful."

Kevin rolled his eyes. "Lucy, you and the baby are going to be fine. Why do you worry about it so much?"

Lucy stood, walking over to Kevin with her arms folded across her chest.

"Why am I worried ? Well, let's see. Maybe it's because I'm in a high risk pregnancy, and you don't seem to care. Or maybe it's because my father just had a heart attack. Maybe it's just that Savannah wants a baby sister or brother, and I'm worried that I won't be able to give that to her. Maybe it's because I'm so stressed about everything, that I can't seem to find ONE MINUTE of relaxation, especially when you don't seem to care about anything concerning me."

Lucy refolded her arms across her chest, which had been gesturing the entire time she'd been yelling at her husband.

"Lucy, I know you're stressed out. Do you think I'm not stressed?"

Lucy looked at her husband, lowering her chin. "You think I'm concerned about your stress level? Do you not realize that the more stressed I get, the better chance I have of losing the baby?" Lucy said, sitting on the bed behind her.

Kevin threw his hand in the air. "Your father's fine, the baby's going to be fine, and you're going to be fine. You have nothing to worry about," Kevin whispered, rubbing Lucy's back.

Lucy stood up from the bed, walking back down to the living room.

Kevin sighed, hoping it was just pregnancy hormones, and followed her.

"Mr. Camden, how are we feeling?"

"I don't know about you, but I'm feeling great," Eric said with a smile.

Dr. Elliot smiled in return. "Your charts look spectacular, Mr. Camden," he -assured- with a warm smile. "I think we'll be able to let you go home today. Is your wife here?"

Eric smiled, overjoyed. "No, but she's supposed to be coming by in about half an hour. I can tell her then. Thank you, doctor," he said, smiling.

"Well, when your wife comes in, I'd like to speak with the two of you, if that's alright."

"Whatever you need, Mark," Eric replied, calling the doctor by his first name.

Dr. Elliot smiled, walking out.

Eric sighed, looking up at the ceiling. "Thank you, Lord," he whispered, tearing up as he said it.

"C, where's our boarding passes?"

Simon and Cecilia, who'd recently found out they were having a baby girl, were heading back to Glenoak. They were going not only to help take care of their father, but for the New Year's celebration the family was planning on having this year.

"Oh, shoot. I just had them in here," Cecilia muttered, digging through her duffel bag.

Simon smiled at the attendee, who looked less than pleased.

"Oop, here they are!" Cecilia squealed, handing them to Simon, who laughed.

"Thanks," Simon muttered, after the attendee checked them.

"Matt, why would you want to move? I thought we were happy in New York. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'd love living back in Glenoak, but why are you springing this on me all of a sudden?"

"Sarah, don't you miss your parents, who you hardly ever see? Plus, we've spent a whole lot of our time in Glenoak lately, and barely any of it back home. Tyler's starting to wonder where we actually live. I think it's a sign to move back home. Besides, you and I still have our jobs here. Why not?" Matt questioned.

Sarah sighed, smiling. "I'd love to move back, but if we're going to move, we need to move soon."

"Why?" Matt asked, eyeing his wife.

All Sarah did was smile, watching the reaction that came across her husband's face.

Matt bent down to his knees, eye level with Sarah, who was sitting on the love seat in the living room.

"Are you pregnant?" he whispered.

Sarah nodded, smiling wide.

"Oh my god!" Matt screamed, pulling his wife into a bear hug. "We're having another baby!"

"WHAT!" the rest of the family screamed, seeing as how they were all in the same room.

"Are you pregnant, Sarah?" Annie squealed, her hands covering her mouth.

"Yes, I am, Mom!" Sarah exclaimed, giving Annie a hug.

The rest of the family exchanged hugs, kissing, handshakes, and all things of the sort.

"Ruth," Martin muttered, as his wife continued packing a fairly large suitcase.

"Ruthie," Martin said, a little louder this time.

Ruthie looked up. "Oh, sorry, hon. What?"

Martin smiled. "Why do you wanna wait to have more kids?"

Ruthie sighed. "I want some time to let these three grow up. Besides, Matt's not even two months old."

Martin cut her off. "Well, geez, Ruth, that's a little harsh. I mean, I know he's your brother, but," Martin said, smiling.

Ruthie stuck tongue out at her husband, continuing what she was attempting to say.

"I wanna wait a year or so before we have another. I thought we discussed this already," Ruthie said, pouting her bottom lip out.

Martin sighed. "It's just, with all your sisters and sister-in-laws getting pregnant, I just wish we could have another. A year seems to be a long time to wait."

Ruthie sighed. "Martin, I want more, too. I just think we should let our kids grow up a little bit, first. That way, when our fourth comes along, we'll be prepared for another."

"We're not prepared for another now?"

Ruthie let out a distressed sigh. "You're not being fair," she said, pouting her lip.

Martin snickered, hugging Ruthie. "I'm sorry, babe. I just love having little bundles of joy come into the world."

"Well, so do I, just not ten months after bringing one bundle of joy into the world."

Martin laughed, kissing Ruthie's forehead.

"We need to rent a minivan, please," Simon told the clerk behind the counter.

"Simon, why do we need a van?"

"Since we're having a baby, I figured we should get used to one of these, since we're buying one soon anyway."

"Congratulations on the baby. Would you like a Dodge Caravan or a Honda Odyssey?"

"Thank you, and we'll take the Dodge."

"Eric, what'd the doctor say?" Annie asked, walking into her husband's hospital room.

Eric smiled. "I'm comin' home."

"Martin? Ruthie? Anybody?" Simon yelled, as he and Cecilia walked in.

"Simon! How was the appointment?" Mary asked, hugging her brother.

"Well, we'll tell you once we find everybody and get them all in one room together."

"That won't be hard. Everybody's in the living room anyway," Mary said.

Simon and Cecilia followed her to the living room, where the Camden family was sitting, except for Eric and Annie, who were still at the hospital.

"Hey, Simon!" Ruthie yelled, giving him a hug.

The rest of the family sat quietly, waiting to find out the news.

Simon looked at his wife, lacing his fingers in hers, and told her to tell them.

"It's a girl!" Cecilia yelled.

They were again adorned with hugs, smiling and laughing with all of them. Simon and Cecilia were filled in on Sarah's pregnancy, congratulated them, and sat and talked with everyone for a while.

"Matt, I got an appointment with Marcus next week, so that we can confirm the pregnancy. You think we'll be home by then?" Sarah asked, putting Tyler on the spare mattress Martin and Ruthie had offered.

"Yeah, we'll be back by then. I was kind of hoping we could head out to New York, confirm it, and then fly back and start looking for places. While we're here, we could see about having Ruthie's doctor through your pregnancy, since we're gonna live here."

Sarah nodded, walking with Matt back down to the living room.

"Sarah, what signs did you start having?"

"Huh? Oh, you mean about the pregnancy?" Matt nodded, stopping her in the foyer.

"Well, I was having headaches, but other than that, not really anything too severe. Why?"

Matt shook his head. "No reason. I just never noticed anything different."

Sarah looked as though she was in deep thought.

"Sarah? Sarah?" Matt whispered, snapping his fingers in front of her eyes.

"Wha...oh, sorry," Sarah said, walking to the living room.

Matt, confused, followed her.

Kevin and Lucy had found a spare guest room where they could talk.

"Luce, what's bothering you? Don't tell me it's just the pregnancy, because I'm worried that it could be something else. What's wrong?"

Lucy sighed. "I just...I got really scared when Dad had the heart attack, ya know? It kind of made me realize that one of these days, he's won't be able to lead the church anymore, and I'll take over. I don't know if I'll be able to handle everything. It's a lot of work, Kevin. I'm..."

Kevin stopped her. "You went through college, pregnancy, and lead an abstinence class all at the same time. I'm sure you can be the mother of two children and pastor at the church. Your father lead the church with seven children," Kevin stated.

Lucy looked at her husband. "Maybe I'm not my father. I'm not so sure that I can lead a church. I don't have the kind of motivation my dad has. What if I lose members, or get a bunch of them shuffled off to Georgia's church?"

"Who the hell is Georgia?" Kevin asked.

"Simon's ex, Georgia. The one that was kind of a..."

"Oh," Kevin remembered, not needing for Lucy to use the word she was about to use, even though it was true.

"Kevin, promise you'll be here for me?"

"Lucy, I promised you that when I married you."

Lucy smiled, quickly pecking her husband's lips.

The two walked back to the living room, to await the arrival of their father.

"Mr. and Mrs. Camden, I'd like to speak with you a moment, about your husband."

Annie sat in the chair behind her, looking up intently at the doctor.

"Your husband hadn't been following the diet he'd been asked to stick to. That's one of the many contributors to his heart attack."

"Many...contributors?" Annie inquired.

"Your husband also has a condition where his heart isn't given the proper amount of blood that it needs to perform well, persay. Therefore, he's going to need to take a medication that will help with this. Mr. Camden, have you experienced any dizziness or fatigue lately?"

Eric had a faraway look in his eye, as though he was trying to remember something.

"Yes, actually, now that I think about it. I remember starting to feel out of it a lot, and I wasn't eating too well," Eric said, remembering his condition before the attack.

"Those signs are common. You'll need to start taking this medication, one pill a day, and you're condition should start to improve. It will probably be two or three weeks until you really start feeling better, but it will make a huge difference. You also need to eat better, and you should start feeling better than you have in a long time."

Eric smiled. "Thank you, Mark. I'll get my wife to remind me," Eric chuckled.

Dr. Elliot smiled. "After you turn in your forms, you're free to leave. You'll need to refrain from walking around a lot for a while, just until you get your strength back."

Eric nodded, as the doctor exited the room.

"Simon, since we're having a girl, what are we going to do about names?"

"Well, I thought I'd let you pick."

Cecilia smiled. "Really? Why?"

"So I can get dibs on names when it's a boy," Simon said.

Cecilia laughed. "How about we each pick a name, first and middle, and then we'll choose a few combinations, and decide which we like the most?" Cecilia asked, looking at her husband.

"I think that's a great idea. Let's go!" he said, pulling Cecilia by the wrist.

"Martin, do you have a pad of paper and a pen?"

Martin, befuddled (I love that word...) by the question, handed him a pad and pen from the junk drawer in their kitchen.

Simon muttered a thanks, and followed Cecilia into the formal dining room.

"Anybody home?" Annie yelled through the Brewer home.

Eric was in a wheelchair for the time being, but would attend physical therapy to get his strength back. He and Annie slowly made their way to the living room.

"Dad!" The family seemed to yell it all at the same time. Those who had children ran up to get them, so they could see their grandfather.

Eric was adorned with hugs and kisses from his family, and he'd never been happier to see them all.

"Ruthie, we need to get clothes for the kids. They're coming with us, remember?"

Ruthie frowned at the nearly full suitcase beneath her, mainly consisting of her things.

"Maybe we should go out and buy another one for their stuff," Ruthie whispered, not wanting to have to repack everything.

Martin laughed. "Already done," he said, pulling a suitcase out from under their massive bed.

Ruthie slapped his shoulder, smiling as she did.

"So, is that the name we're using?" Simon asked.

"Ashlynn Nicole," Cecilia whispered to herself.

"I think that's it," Simon said.

They both sat there smiling for a minute, at the name on the page below them.

Martin and Ruthie finally had an empty house. Everyone had returned to their homes, and the house had become much quieter.

The two sat on their bed, exhausted from dealing with nieces and nephews, brothers and sisters, and countless other family members.

"I'm going to sleep," Ruthie muttered, half asleep already.

Martin didn't respond, causing Ruthie to roll over. She smiled, as Martin lay with his mouth wide open, snoring.

"Night, babe," Ruthie whispered.

"Sarah, where's my shoes?" Matt yelled, digging through the front closet.

Sarah walked up behind him, holding them. "Here ya go, Sherlock," Sarah mocked.

Matt eyed Sarah, as he slipped them on.

"Thanks," he muttered, laughing as Sarah smiled.

"Why are you so happy?"

"We're having another baby, how can I not be?" Sarah asked, putting her hands on her hips.

Matt smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead.

"Tyler!" Sarah yelled.

Tyler came bounding down the stairs, and followed his parents into the car.

"Ruthie, get the tickets!" Martin yelled, dialing the number of the post office.

Ruthie, upstairs putting Matt in his car seat, rolled her eyes. "You have them!" she yelled in return.

Martin, back in the living room with the phone, frowned, not remembering having the tickets.

"Hello? Yes, this is Martin Brewer. I'd like to make sure my mail will be held. I turned in a form last week..."

Ruthie walked down the stairs, carrying a large suitcase in one hand, and Matt's carseat in the other.

She smiled as Martin debated with the person on the other end, and wondered how calling about the mail had turned into a baseball discussion.

"Eric, here's your lunch."

Annie walked into the dining room, where Eric had been anxiously waiting for some "real food," but the look on his face was anything but relief.

"Annie, what is this?" Eric asked, a look of disgust plastered on his face.

"It's tofu. Dr. Elliot listed it on your diet plan, so you're allowed to eat it."

Eric poked at it with his fork. "I'm allowed to eat it, but is it edible?" he asked, continuing to poke it.

Annie laughed. "Eric, you and I both know you need to follow doctor's orders. Please cooperate, and eat it."

"Can't I just eat something else on the list?" Eric asked, picking the handwritten paper up.

"Ooh! How about some fruit?" he asked, his eyes twinkling with hope.

"I thought about that, but since I knew you would want to never eat this, I figured that for your first day, you'd eat something you didn't like. Besides, the kitchen doesn't have any food in it. It's all gone from Christmas and New Year's."

"Yet, you could go out to Publix and buy me tofu? How touching," Eric muttered, slouching in his chair.

Annie sighed, shaking her head. "Please, just eat it. Besides, dinner tonight will be better," she said, trying to excite her husband.

"What are we having tonight? Cordon bleu tofu?" Eric asked with a French accent.

Annie picked a forkful of tofu up, forcing it into Eric's mouth.

"How is it?"

Eric didn't reply, but instead ran for the bathroom.

"Matt, Sarah, how are we?"

"Good, thanks. How's Lexi?" Sarah asked, referring to the doctor's wife.

"She's fine, thanks. She's been watching the kids the past few days. She still has a few maternity days, so she's using them," the doctor chuckled to himself.

"Alright, you two are just here to confirm a pregnancy, then?"

"Yes, we are. Baby number two," Matt said, laughing.

Marcus smiled, asking Sarah to follow him. "We'll take a blood and urine sample to confirm it. Shouldn't take too long," he said.

"We know. We're both in the same profession as you, Marcus," Sarah noted, laughing.

Marcus led Sarah into the adjoined bathroom, as Matt could lightly make out the doctor's directions. Matt went over them in his head, making sure Marcus took the correct procedures.

"Ruthie!" Martin yelled.

Ruthie, sitting in the van, rolled her eyes. "What?" she asked.

Martin ran into the garage. "Oh. I didn't know where you were," Martin muttered.

Ruthie laughed, handing a sippy cup to her daughter.

"Does everybody have their suitcase?" Martin asked, sitting in the driver's seat. The twins yelled a yes, and Martin laughed, looking over at his wife.

He and Ruthie shared a "moment," before Martin shifted into reverse, and backed out of the driveway.

"Eric! Get down here!" Annie yelled up the stairs.

Eric, hiding in his bedroom, sighed. He looked towards the ceiling. "Why, God? Why does my wife torture me?"

"I heard that!" Annie yelled, walking into the room.

She grabbed Eric's wrist, and pulled him back into the kitchen.

"Finish it," she hissed.

Eric folded his arms across his chest. "Why don't you taste it and tell me if you like it?" he challenged.

Annie's eyes grew dark. "Eat," she whispered.

Eric sighed, and began eating.

Matt and Sarah were waiting on their doctor to walk in with the results. They sat impatiently, for what seemed like hours, until he finally walked in with the results.

Matt and Sarah's smiles faded, as they noticed the look on the doctor's face.

"Marcus, what's wrong?" Sarah asked.

"You two came to confirm a pregnancy, right?" he asked, not looking up from his clipboard.

Matt looked at Sarah. "Yeah," he whispered.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but it appears that you're not pregnant."

Matt's heart fell, as did Sarah's. "Wha...what?" Matt asked, choked.

"You're not pregnant. I'm so sorry," the doctor whispered. Marcus was close friends with Matt and Sarah, and knew how much they had wanted another child. It hurt him just as much to tell them that a baby wasn't coming yet.

"But...I took a test and it was positive..." Sarah whined, crying.

"It was a false," Matt whispered, holding his sobbing wife.

Marcus left the room, letting the Camdens cry alone.

"I wanted another baby," Sarah whispered, still crying.

"I did, too, sweetie," Matt whispered, kissing her hair.


	29. Chap 27 Valentines Day

Author's Note: This is urbanluver, the author of this story. I'd just like to remind all of you of a few things. This story has already been written and FINISHED. Therefore, it's being updated when the uploader of this story (in this case, nancy23) has time. Around the time of these chapters being written, I changed the writing style a bit. I began to include other family members, which is why it seems to be such a sudden change from all Martin/Ruthie to other Camden couples. The sequel, titled "One More Day of Insanity" includes all the couples as well. So if you're interested in reading that, when I begin to upload it, it will probably help if you get used to this writing style now. I just wanted to remind you of a few things, and also thank all of you for reading this story.

Mary was in the kitchen preparing dinner, when she heard her husband walk in.  
"Mary? Where are you?"  
"Kitchen!"  
Carlos walked in, setting his briefcase on the chair just inside the doorway.  
"Hola, senorita," he whispered.  
"Hola, senor," she purred, kissing him.  
Charlie walked into the kitchen. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!" he squealed.  
"There's my favorite son!" he yelled.  
Mary watched, laughing as Carlos roughed Charles's hair up a bit. Carlos set him back down, and Charlie went off to play again, his greetings done.  
"So, what's for dinner tonight?"   
"Well, we're having fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, baked beans, and macaroni...oh, and colesaw, courtesy of 'Mrs. Winners.' They had a deal on their family pack, so I went ahead and picked it up."  
Carlos was already digging through the box when Mary looked up. "Don't worry, there's plenty of wings and thighs in there."  
Carlos' head popped up, and he smiled. "Te amo, mi esposa," he said.  
"I love it when you say that," she whispered, kissing him again.  
Almost as if on cue, Charlie, now three, ran into the kitchen. "Is dinner done?"   
Mary and Carlos pulled away, each laughing, and Mary dished out dinner.

"Annie, when do I have to see Dr. Elliot again?"   
Annie, standing at the counter, craned her neck to see the calendar on the fridge. "Oh, Eric. I completely forgot. You've got a follow-up in an hour," she hissed, angry with herself for forgetting.  
Eric couldn't help but snicker at his wife's attitude. She looked up, her eyes fierce.  
"Are you laughing at me?" she accused.  
Eric immediately silenced himself. "No...I was merely smiling at you, because I think you're so beautiful, even when you're angry at nothing in particular."   
Annie stared at Eric for a minute, causing him to become uncomfortable. He tried changing the subject.  
"Have Matt and Sarah called?"  
Annie stopped her death glare, much to Eric's delight. "No, they haven't. Their appointment was weeks ago. I don't think I've heard from them since they called us when they made it to New York. Why wouldn't they call us to tell us the baby's okay?"  
Eric shrugged, and went back to eating his apple. 

"Sarah, we need to call my parents. If I know my mom, and I think I do, we need to tell them that we're not pregnant."   
Sarah dried her tears with her tissue, refusing to speak.   
"Sarah, you've been crying since the appointment. It's not like we can't get pregnant. We can keep trying, and eventually we will. Why is this so hard?"  
"Because...I wanted another child now. When I took that test, I was so excited..."   
Matt cut her off. "Sarah, we wouldn't have had another child now. We would've had to wait nine months."  
"I don't want your idiotic jokes right now, Matt," Sarah snarled, leaving the room.  
Matt sighed. This had been tough on both of them, and it was causing their already strained marraige to fall apart even more. He knew he'd have to tell his mother something, so he picked up the phone, knowing he'd hear some yelling from Sarah later.

"Camden residence." Sam and David were the ones to pick up.  
Matt couldn't help but smile at the twins' voices. "Hey, guys. It's Matt," he said.  
"MATT!" they yelled. The two were always excited when their older brothers and sisters called, since they were the only ones living in the Camden household still.  
"Is Mom there?" he asked.  
"Yes, hold on one moment, please," David answered.  
Matt smiled to himself, playing with the phone cord, listening as the twins yelled for their mother. A few minutes later, she answered.  
"Matt? Your father and I have been waiting for you to call. How did the appointment go?"   
"Not so good, Mom," he replied.  
Annie became confused. "What do you mean, it didn't go well?"  
"Sarah isn't pregnant. Apparently, the test was a false positive. We're still kind of shaken up, especially Sarah. She refuses to really talk to me. It's been hard on the two of us."  
Annie nodded. "You two will have more kids, just wait and see. Maybe now wasn't the right time."  
"Yeah, you're probably right."  
Annie smiled. "I suppose you'll want me to call the rest of the family?"  
"Yep, that'd be great," he answered.  
"I will. Okay...bye," she said, hanging up the phone.

TWO WEEKS EARLIER

"Welcome to the Bahamas. Enjoy your stay."   
"Thanks," Martin replied, taking the hotel key from the man behind the counter.  
He handed the key to Ruthie, and picked up the two large suitcases on either side of him, each containing pounds of clothing. Martin huffed, as he followed his wife and children to the elevator. Once inside, he bent over from exhaustion.   
"Are you really that out of shape?"  
Martin stood up straight, trying to prove that he wasn't, but couldn't do it, so bent over again. "I'm blaming it on jet lag," he said.  
Ruthie sighed. "Okay, hon. It's jet lag...sure it is," she muttered under her breath.  
"Mommy, are you fighting?"   
"No, Daddy and I are just having a discussion, sweetie."   
"Oh," Abby innocently replied.  
The elevator dinged, and the five made their way to the honeymoon suite.

(A/N: All storylines about the Bahamas w/ Marthin will be two weeks earlier than the rest of the story. ) 

The Riveras had finished their dinner, each stuffed.   
"Charlie, put your dishes in the sink, please," Mary commanded.  
Charlie nodded, and threw his dishes into the sink, causing a slight shudder from Mary at the sudden noise.  
"Can I play now?" he asked.  
Mary nodded, and her son was gone.   
"Carlos, do you want anymore kids?"  
Surprised by the question, Carlos stuttered for a minute. "Do you?"  
"I asked you first, Carlos."  
He sighed, contemplating an answer. "I'd love more kids, but I'm not sure I want them now."   
"Why not now? Charlie's going to be four this year. (A/N: Remember, it's 2008 now.) We've done pretty good with him. Why can't we have another?"  
"Because I'm not so sure we could handle another."  
Mary's eyes danced with confusion, searching Carlos' eyes for any explanation. She couldn't find one.   
"Carlos, we got married without my parents knowing. We got pregnant without them finding out about it. I'm sure my family had bets on when we'd divorce, and we haven't. We've done really well. Why can't we have another?"  
Carlos sat back in his chair, finally submitting his true feelings to the conversation. "Ever since the whole deal with Ben, I'm not so sure that we could take care of two kids. Our marraige is tough enough, what with you being gone all the time..."  
"I forgot to tell you...I quit my job."  
Carlos sat, stunned. He finally gained enough composure to utter one word. "What?" he squeaked.  
"Flight attending isn't for me. I know that now. I was thinking about maybe becoming a teacher. I've learned a lot, not so much in school, but in life. Maybe I could become a guidance counselor."  
"Mary, I don't know."  
"Carlos, my father is a minister. My brothers are in gynecology and scriptwriting...and second grade. Lucy's going to be a minister, Ruthie's a psychologist...Kevin's a cop..."  
"Why are you telling me this?"  
"Everyone in my family does something to help people," Mary commented, beginning to gesture with her hands. "They all do some sort of public service work. All I do is fly on a plane, and hand people peanuts and pray there isn't a bomb on the plane."  
Carlos sat and thought a minute, clicking his fork on the table. "How does Simon help society?"  
"He writes stories. They become movies, which can inspire people. That's really all he writes...inspiring movies that get you to get up and do something about your screwy life. I feel like I'm the only one in the family who isn't helping anyone."  
"You're helping people, Mary. You're giving peanuts to those who crave them."  
Mary glared at him, tightening her jaw. "I'm not joking about this, Carlos. I've signed up for classes at a junior college, so that I can become a guidance counselor soon. This is what I really want to do with my life, and I finally realize it."  
Carlos rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb, thinking it over.  
"Are you sure?"  
Mary nodded, barely smiling.  
Carlos let out a heavy breath, puffing his cheeks slightly. "If you're sure..."   
"I am, Carlos," Mary answered defiantly. "I promise you that this is something that will make me happier, and if we're lucky, improve our marraige," she said, joking with the last part.  
Carlos laughed a little, and put his dishes in the sink. "Alright," he muttered.  
Mary jumped to her feet, hugging him. "Thank you so much! I love you. And we'll have a baby when you're ready, alright?"  
Carlos nodded, kissing her forehead. "We're not having one until you prove to me that you can stick with this," he said, holding her elbows.  
"That's completely fair," she answered.

"Mr. and Mrs. Camden, everything looks good here. I think you're progressing well. Still following the diet?" the doctor asked.  
Eric smiled, nodding. "Yes, but I wanted to ask you. Just because something is on there doesn't mean that I have to eat it, correct?"  
Dr. Elliot seemed confused, but recovered quickly. "Yes, as long as you are eating things on the menu, so to speak."  
Eric smugly smiled at Annie. "You can't feed me tofu anymore," he mocked.  
"You've been feeding him tofu?" Dr. Elliot broke in.  
"Just a couple of times," Annie answered.  
"I wouldn't do that. Men at Eric's age can get pretty rowdy."  
"So can women my age," Annie answered.  
Dr. Elliot laughed. "No offense, Eric, but I don't want to see you ever again."  
"No offense to you either, but I feel the same way," Eric replied smiling.  
"Hand the receptionist your co-pay, and you're free to go. If anything starts to feel unusual, come see me."  
Eric nodded, shaking hands with the doctor, and followed an angry Annie out the door.

(A/N: Remember, this is two weeks prior to the other storylines.)  
"Well, the kids are asleep...and you are, too," Ruthie muttered.  
"Five more minutes, Mom," Martin whispered.  
Ruthie shook him awake. "Martin, this is our honeymoon. There are two ways to sleep on a honeymoon, and this isn't the way you'll be sleeping," she hissed.  
Martin sat up, instantly awake. "Let me have ya, then," he said, rolling his eyes jokingly.  
Ruthie jumped on top of him, and squealed.

"Sarah, I told my mom about the false test."   
Sarah looked up from where she was slicing ham. "What?" she snarled.  
"They need to know. I had to tell someone!" he defended himself.  
Sarah stopped cutting, and Matt took the knife from her, just in case.  
"Matt, you told them? I haven't told my parents yet! Now, your whole family will know within a week! Why didn't you at least tell me!"  
"Because you wouldn't have let me anyway! I figured I had to do it soon!"   
Sarah rolled her eyes, staring her husband down.  
Tyler came into the kitchen, looking up at his parents with wide eyes.  
"Why are you fighting again?" he asked.  
Matt and Sarah came to a sudden realization about how much they'd fought the past two weeks.   
"Tyler, can you go wash up? Dinner's almost ready," Sarah said, her voice barely above a whisper.  
Tyler scurried off to the bathroom, and Matt waited until he heard the sink faucet.   
"Why are we fighting over something we never had?"   
Sarah shrugged.  
"It's not like we can't get pregnant."   
"I know. This felt like it was the only good thing in our marraige lately. Our jobs have put a ton of strain on our lives, and we hardly ever speak to each other anymore. I was hoping this would put some of the fire back in our lives, I guess."  
Matt smiled at his wife. "I love you, and I'll try to spend more time with you."  
"Ditto," she answered, smiling.  
She and Matt finally shared a hug, smiling for the first time in two weeks.

"Simon, I've gotta go to work," Cecilia whispered.  
"No!" Simon protested, pulling her back onto the bed.  
"Simon, I have to teach. I can't just not show up."  
"Yes you can. Get a sub for today. You've got an appointment today anyway," he muttered.  
Cecilia was nearing the end of her second trimester, and had a routine appointment later that day.  
"Simon, I completely forgot. Go back to sleep, I'll put in for a sub."   
Simon finally let go of her wrist, and listened as she made her way to the office. Simon quickly reached under their bed for a huge chocolate bar and a dozen red roses.  
He rose out of the bed quickly, throwing his tux jacket on. He'd woken up earlier, and already had his slacks and dress shirt, along with his shoes, on. He buttoned up the jacket, and waited for her to come back into the bedroom. He heard her footsteps, and smiled his wide smile.  
"Well, I scheduled..."  
She stopped as she walked in the room. Her eyes became moist, and her hand covered her mouth.  
"What is all this?" she whispered, her throat containing too large a hump to speak loudly.  
"Happy Valentine's Day, schmoopie," Simon joked, using a word from one of their favorite Seinfeld episodes.  
Cecilia laughed, hugging him tight. Well, as tight as she could with her six-month bulge.  
"Happy Valentine's to you, too," she said, as Simon dried her tears.

"Kevin! Wake up!" Lucy yelled, smacking his butt.  
Kevin muttered something, which just pushed Lucy's buttons harder.  
"Get your butt out of bed, Kinkirk! We're finding out whether we'll have a boy or girl today! But we can't if you DON'T GET YOUR BUTT OUT OF BED!" Lucy screamed.  
Kevin sat up, scowling at his wife. Her expression immediately changed to a sweet, innocent smile.  
"Happy Valentine's Day," she said.  
Kevin scowled for another moment, before he fell back into the bed, holding a pillow over his head.  
"Kevin!" she whined.  
He finally submitted himself to the day, and began to get ready.

"Sarah," Matt whispered.  
Sarah slightly moved in the bed, and Matt walked over to her.  
"Sarah, wake up," he whispered gently.   
Her eyes fluttered open, seemingly perturbed, until she saw the red rose he was holding.  
"Happy Valentine's Day," Matt said.  
Sarah sat up. "I love you," she whispered, hugging him.

"Mary," Carlos said in a singsong voice.  
Mary was pouring milk into Charlie's bowl of cereal, and looked up, smiling.  
"Happy Valentine's Day," he said, handing her a bouquet of lilies, her favorite flower.  
"Happy Valentine's Day to you," she said back, putting her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"Annie," Eric whispered.   
The two were still lying in bed, being that they only had to make breakfast for two children now.  
She stirred slightly, before rolling over and meeting his eyes.  
"Happy Valentine's Day," he said.  
Annie grunted something, and rolled over again.  
"That's it? I tell you to have a happy day and you grunt at me? How dare you," Eric joked.  
Annie didn't stir at all, so Eric gave up. 

"HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!" Sam and David, having woken up at the same time, yelled this at each other. They hugged...and that's the end of that, because the twins are boring. 

Martin, in the kitchen preparing breakfast, smiled to himself. He had decided to bring Ruthie breakfast in bed that morning, so was waiting on the toast to pop out of the toaster.  
Once it had appeared, Martin quickly transferred it to a tray that he had waiting. He'd already placed his famous "egg scrambler" on the tray, along with a fresh cut peach rose from the bush out front.   
Once he'd put a glass of sweet tea on the tray, he carefully made his way upstairs. As soon as he'd reached their bedroom, he realized he couldn't open the door. Sighing, he walked into Keith's room, where he was already awake.  
"Keith, can you open Mommy and Daddy's bedroom door?"  
Keith nodded, and opened it. Martin heard a scream, and knew why his wife was screaming. He quickly pushed Keith out of the way, and set the tray on the dresser just inside the doorway. He shut the door, and looked back towards the bed.  
Ruthie, dressed in a black lace ensemble, was scowling at him. "You let our son see me?"  
Martin tried not to laugh. "I couldn't get the door open," he said.  
Ruthie huffed, before she walked to him. Martin's eyes traced her slim figure up and down.  
"You look amazing," he said, as Ruthie jumped up, putting her arms and legs around him.  
Martin held her, kissing her lightly. It didn't take too long before her hair was messy and he was breathing hard.  
He laid her on the bed, staring at her, smiling. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said, gasping for air.  
"Happy Valentine's Day to you," she said back.  
Martin leaned back down, and felt her legs wrap around his lower back.

"Luce! Where's my gun?"  
Lucy handed him his holster. "Trying to kill me already, are you?" Lucy asked.  
Kevin laughed. "You're not worth that much money."  
Lucy laughed with him, even though he'd insulted her. They made their way into the car, and drove off towards the clinic.

"Simon, you're amazing," Cecilia whispered.   
Simon smiled. "I know. Care to dance with me?"  
Cecilia nodded, and Simon turned on the song they'd danced to at their wedding reception. It was Keith Urban's "Making Memories of Us."   
The two danced for a while, holding each other, before Simon finally had to change so they could go to their appointment. 

"Morning, Kevin."  
"Morning, Ben. Wait...Ben!"  
Kevin and Lucy were in the waiting room, waiting (hence waiting room) for the doctor to bring them in. Kevin spotted Ben a few feet away, but couldn't think why he'd be there. Unless...  
"Who's pregnant!" Kevin asked.  
Ben smirked. "Your wife, remember?"  
Kevin returned the smirk. "Who did YOU get pregnant?"  
Ben smiled. "I didn't get anyone pregnant. Stop worrying," Ben said, choosing not to tell them about the deal with Mary the year before.  
"Then why are you here? In Glenoak, no less."  
"I'm here because we rescued a pregnant woman from her grandparents home a few weeks ago. She lives here, and she's going to find out if the baby's okay. I thought I'd come here with her, just to make sure that the baby's alright. That okay with you?"  
"Sure, Ben. That's fine...if that were the truth," Kevin said.  
"Kevin, I wouldn't lie to you..."  
"Then why did you just lie to me?"  
"Hang on a minute," Ben said, walking over to another woman in the clinic.  
"Kevin, maybe he's telling the truth."  
"Lucy, why would they bring a woman to a local clinic instead of a hospital near San Francisco?"  
Lucy thought it over for a minute, and couldn't come up with an explanation. She looked up, and saw Ben walking back.  
"This is Rachel. She's the woman I saved."  
"Whoa...Rachel, as in your high school girlfriend, Rachel?"  
Ben knew his act was over. "We're getting married, Kevin."  
Kevin shook his head. "I can't believe you didn't tell me I'm gonna be an uncle!" Kevin yelled, standing up to hug him. "Dude, you're already an uncle," Ben reminded him.  
"Well...I can't believe you didn't tell me you're gonna be a dad!" Kevin yelled, and this time Ben accepted the hug.  
Kevin and Lucy both congratulated Rachel, and jumped when they were called into the room. 

"Oh...Martin..." Ruthie gasped.  
She was lying on the bed, wrapped in sheets, smiling at her husband next to her.   
He was smiling back at her, kissing her sweaty forehead.  
"I love you, Ruth," Martin whispered.  
"Love you, too."   
Martin and Ruthie, both knowing the moment had ended, began to get dressed so that they could go to their respectful jobs. Ruthie had an appointment with her faithful patient, Evan, who suffered from severe anxiety disorder. He seemed to find something bad in everything. Ruthie tried to get her spirits up, knowing that it would be tough to not hit him over the head with a broom.  
Martin prepared for a long day at the law firm. He was in charge of the money dealing with lawsuits, and prayed that he wouldn't have more cases on top of the amount he had already.  
The two quickly ate the cold breakfast on the dresser, and walked down to feed their children breakfast.

"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Kinkirk..."   
The doctor stopped, looking up from his clipboard.  
"You two look famaliar. Do I know you?"  
"Yes, actually, you might. Ruthie Brewer is my sister," Lucy answered.  
A sudden look of recognition crossed Dr. Graham's face. "That's right. How's she doing?"  
"They're all doing well. The baby's going to be six months in a couple weeks. he's getting big," Kevin answered.  
Dr. Graham nodded. "Well, you're in a very good and caring family."  
"Thank you," Lucy said.   
Dr. Graham asked some general questions, and began to ready the probe.  
He spread the ultrasound gel on her belly, and moved the probe around on her stomach.  
"Everything looks good. Here you can see the baby's head, and there's the feet...wait a minute..."   
Lucy sat up, and Kevin's eyes widened.  
"What's the matter?" he asked, both worrying that they had lost the baby.   
"Looks like there's two babies in there."  
"WHAT!" the two of them yelled.  
"You're having twins. Would you like to know the gender?"  
Lucy, still in shock, nodded.  
"You're having twin girls."  
Lucy's head fell back, and a smile spread across her face. "We're having two little girls?"   
"Yes you are. Would you like me to print a picture of the two?"  
Kevin answered the doctor with a yes, and the doctor left the room to pick up the picture.  
"First, we get pregnant and beat the odds. Now, we're beating them even harder by having twins! Kevin, we're having twins!" Lucy squealed.  
Kevin smiled, kissing her. "We'll need names."  
"I can do that," Lucy said.


	30. Chap 28 One Year

It was now May 2008. Simon and Cecilia's daughter was due any day now, and they had less than a week until their due date came. Cecilia did nothing more than sit on the couch now, yelling for Simon to bring her anything she craved, which would be mint chocolate chip ice cream, mostly.  
"Simon!" Cecilia yelled.  
Simon ran in from the bedroom, where he'd been attempting to hide. "More ice cream?" he asked.  
"No. I wanted to ask you what we're going to do about your family."   
Simon's eyes danced with confusion. "What do you mean?"   
"Well," Cecilia started, sitting upright on the couch. "We live here in San Francisco. They live out in Glenoak, two hours from here. When I go into labor, I'm sure you want all of them to be here."  
"Yeah. But it's only two hours. You'll never deliver the baby in that short of time."  
Cecilia's eyes narrowed. "What are you talking about?"  
Simon backed up two feet. "Nothing. I'm just saying that you and I both know it'll take a bit longer than two hours to deliver a baby."   
Cecilia huffed, turning back to the TV. She didn't want to think about being in labor for hours. She'd considered a C-section, but had gone against it. She didn't want surgery. She hated sharp objects. 

Martin and Ruthie's one-year wedding anniversary was coming up this week. They were worried, though. Cecilia's due date was May 10, which was Martin and Ruthie's anniversary. If Cecilia went into labor, they'd have to cut their celebrations short.  
"Martin, how about we just wait until after they have the baby? That way we'll know for sure that there won't be any deliveries to interrupt us."   
"Ruth, this is going to be our first wedding anniversary. I want it to be special, and on the actual day that we say it's on."   
"We could just pull a Matt and Sarah, and celebrate it on a day that isn't our actual anniversary," Ruthie said. Martin and Ruthie were the only ones who knew of Matt and Sarah's situation.   
Martin sighed, ccking his head to one side. "No. We'll get as much in on the 10th. What are the odds of her having a baby on our anniversary, anyway?"

_May 9th, 8:41 P.M. _

Simon and Cecilia were getting ready for bed, and as soon as Cecilia sat back in bed, she started thinking.  
"Simon, did we get into this too fast?"  
Simon rolled over in bed, grunting. "Huh?"   
"Did we get pregnant too fast? We were only married two months."  
Simon sat up, propping his head with his hand. "I don't think we did."  
Cecilia turned her head to look at him. "You sure?"  
Simon smiled. "Why are you so worried about this?"  
"It finally hit me. Tomorrow is our due date, Simon. We're going to be parents soon. REAL soon. It's just gotten to me, I guess."  
Simon kissed her forehead. "You'll be fine, don't worry."  
Cecilia smiled weakly. "Night," she muttered, struggling to lay on her side.

_May 9th, 9:56 P.M. _

Cecilia reached up, turning her bedside lamp on.   
"Are you sure? Because we could always give this baby up for adoption."  
Simon rolled over, a death glare in his eyes. "Cecilia, we're fine. Stop worrying," he rasped, turning back over.  
Cecilia sat up for a few seconds more, thinking it over. She decided to try and get more sleep, so reached up for the light.

_May 9th, 11:49 P.M. _

"Simon," Cecilia began.  
Simon instinctively rolled over. "Cecilia, we are fine. You don't need to give this baby up for adoption. We didn't get into this too fast, because we've known each other a long time. There's no reason to worry. Now, shut the light off and go to sleep," Simon hissed.  
"That's not what I was going to say."   
"Well then, what were you going to say?" Simon asked, his voice full of attitude.  
"I was going to say that my water broke. But I guess it doesn't matter."  
"You're right, it doesn't," Simon replied, turning back over.  
Cecilia sat in bed, biting her bottom lip to keep herself from laughing. She counted down the seconds until Simon would roll back over. She counted three.  
"What!" Simon yelled, standing up.  
"I said my water broke. But...no biggie," Cecilia said, shrugging. She shut off the light, lying back down in bed.  
"Cecilia, are you kidding? Get out of bed!" he screamed.  
Cecilia laughed, grabbing Simon's hand and following him out the door.

_May 10th, 12:01 A.M. _

The phone at Matt and Sarah's rang.   
"Hello?" Sarah asked groggily.  
"Sarah, it's Simon. I'm sorry to wake you up this early, but Cecilia's in labor."   
Sarah sat up quickly, giving a painful head rush. Once she'd recovered, she shook Matt awake.  
"We'll be on the next flight out."  
"What?" Matt asked, just as groggily.   
"Simon called. Cecilia's in labor. We have to fly out."   
"All the way to San Francisco? I don't wanna," Matt whined, pulling a pillow over his head.  
"Matt Camden, get out of bed!" Sarah yelled, pulling some jeans on.

_May 10th, 12:09 A.M. _

The phone at the Rivera household rang.   
"Hola," Carlos answered, thinking it was his crazy relatives in Mexico, that seemed to call at the middle of the night.   
"Carlos, it's Simon."  
"Oh, sorry," Carlos answered sheepishly. He rubbed his eyes, trying to wake himself up.   
"That's okay. Cecilia's in labor. We're on our way to the hospital now. Can you call Martin and Ruthie for me? I lost the number to their new house."  
"Yeah, sure. Even though it's been almost a year, yeah, I'll call," Carlos answered.   
Carlos heard Cecilia yelp over the phone.  
"I'll call them. Drive carefully," Carlos commanded.  
"We will, thanks," Simon answered.

_May 10th, 12:28 A.M. _

"What?" Lucy snarled.  
"Luce, it's Simon," he said, ignoring her tone. "C's in labor," he said quickly, trying not to squeal over the phone from the pain of Cecilia squeezing his thigh.  
"Okay, that's great. Bye, Simon," Lucy muttered, hanging up the phone.  
She laid back in bed, realizing about two minutes later what Simon had said.

_May 10th, 12:42 A.M. _

"Hello?" Martin answered, yawning.  
"Martin, it's Carlos. Sorry to wake you up this late," he said.  
"No, don't worry about it. What's up?" Martin asked, trying not to stir Ruthie.  
"Simon called me, and said Cecilia's in labor. He seems to have misplaced your phone number."  
Martin rolled his eyes. "That sounds like Simon. Thanks for calling, I'll wake Ruthie up."  
He and Carlos muttered a goodbye to the other, and Martin nudged Ruthie awake.

_May 10th, 12:38 A.M. _

"Yo," Eric answered.  
Simon, confused by the slang his father was using, shook his head, trying to pretend he hadn't heard it.  
"Dad, Cecilia's in labor."  
"Thank you very much," Eric answered in an Elvis fashion.  
_Damn, Dad. This isn't the time for your Elvis dreams. _  
"Dad, wake up!" Simon screamed.  
That did the trick. "Camden residence," Eric answered as nonchalantly as possible.  
Simon rolled his eyes. "Cecilia's in labor!" he yelled.  
"Oh, really?" Eric asked, excited.  
"No, I just decided to call you and interrupt your sleep," Simon sarcastically answered.  
"Oh, well that wasn't very kind of you, Simon," Eric answered.  
"Dad! Cecilia is in labor! Fly or drive up to San Francisco now!" Simon yelled.  
"So...is she or isn't she?"  
"SHE IS!" Simon answered.  
"Okay, gotcha. We'll be there in a few hours."

_May 10th, 1:00 A.M. _

"Hi, I need to see Dr. Bernstein. My wife is in labor."  
"Okay. We'll get you into a prep room, and see if we can get Dr. Bernstein in here. He's on call right now," the woman behind the desk answered.  
Simon nodded, turning around to find Cecilia in a wheelchair, breathing heavily. He bent down to his knees, now eye level with his wife.  
"C, they're going to take you to a prep room. They're calling in Dr. Bernstein, alright?"  
Cecilia shook her head up and down furiously, continuing her breathing.   
Simon rose from his knees, hoping his family would all make it to the hospital, instead of going back to bed.

_May 10th, 1:27 A.M. _

"Mrs. Camden, how long have you been in labor?" Dr. Bernstein asked, after checking her progress.  
Cecilia was going through a contraction when the doctor asked. Bad timing on his part.  
"She woke me up around midnight. I don't know how long it had been."  
"Okay, I think we can say roughly an hour and a half, more or less. The baby's pretty low, so your contractions are going to intensify. You're about two centimeters right now."   
Cecilia nodded, trying to relax.  
"Have you called the family?"  
"Yeah, I called everyone. But the closest members of our families live two hours away."  
"Well, I think that it's safe to say that it will be a while after they get here. How far is the farthest member?"  
"Out in New York," Cecilia answered.  
"Hmm, we might be cutting it close there. How long will it take?"  
"I don't know. I've never had to fly that far."  
Dr. Bernstein chuckled. "I'll leave you two alone for a while."

_May 10th, 3:30 A.M. _

Everyone except Matt and Sarah, and the Riveras, had arrived.  
"Cecilia, honey, do you want some more ice chips?" Annie asked.  
She nodded, not able to speak. She was taking labor hard, already completely exhausted.  
Simon was sitting in a chair beside her, stroking her hand.  
"Mmmmm..." Cecilia muttered.  
Simon turned around, noticing the line on the monitor start to climb.  
"C, hang on. This one's goin' high...hang on," Simon whispered, trying to keep her calm.   
Cecilia bit her lip, trying to keep her screams in. It didn't take long before she screamed.  
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cecilia screamed, tears flowing.  
"It's ending, C...almost done...alright, that's the end of it."  
"That was the worst one yet," Cecilia whispered.  
"I know..." Simon said quietly.

_May 10th, 7:52 A.M. _

"Well, Matt called and said that their plane just got in. They should be here in about an hour or two," Annie said, handing Martin's cell phone back to him.  
"I'll go see how Simon and Cecilia are doing," Ruthie said, handing Matt to Martin.

_May 10th, 7:55 A.M. _

Because Cecilia's contractions were increasing in intensity, they'd ask that the family leave. They would allow a woman in every hour, and Ruthie figured it was close enough to 8 to see them.  
"Simon," Ruthie asked, walking in slowly.  
"Hey, Ruth."  
"How're you doing?"   
Cecilia tried to smile. "Not too good," she answered.   
"She's fine. It's just a lot of pain. Her contractions are about on top of each other. The doctor says we might have to have a C-section, but C refuses to have one."  
"Sounds like Cecilia," Ruthie said, squeezing her sweaty hand.  
Cecilia smiled. "I may be in pain, but that doesn't matter. I'm not lettin' them put a needle on me," Cecilia said.  
"What about the epidural?"  
"She hasn't had one. Refuses that, too," Simon answered.  
"How far are you?"  
"About 8 centimeters," Cecilia breathily replied, preparing for another contraction.  
"Well, Matt and Mary aren't here yet. They probably won't be for another hour or two."  
Cecilia nodded, squeezing Simon's hand as she went through a contraction.  
Ruthie left the room silently, shutting the door behind her.

_May 10th, 9:41 A.M. _

"I think we're ready to have a baby."  
Cecilia, who'd been screaming through a contraction, became silent.  
"What!"  
"We're ready to have a baby now."  
Cecilia's frantic eyes found Simon's, and he calmed her.  
"Can we send a nurse to tell the family that we're having the baby?"  
"I'll take care of it," one woman said, a warm smile on her face.  
Simon nodded in thanks, and prepared himself to become a father.

_May 10th, 10:00 A.M. _

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Cecilia screamed, her first push hurting more than any pain she'd felt in her life.   
"Uh-oh..." Dr. Bernstein muttered.  
Simon, who'd been brushing Cecilia's hair back and holding her hand, looked at the look on Dr. Bernstein's face.  
"What's wrong?"   
"Nothing. She's feet first, so you're going to have to push even harder."  
"Typical," Cecilia muttered.   
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

_May 10th, 10:13 A.M. _

The Camden family, which consisted of every member now, including Cecilia's parents, were anxiously awaiting the news of Cecilia's delivery.  
They saw Dr. Bernstein appear from the double doors with a smile, which was good news.   
"Well, the delivery was extremely tough on Cecilia, but she did well. She's given birth to a baby girl."  
Annie and Eric began crying, like they always did, while the rest exchanged hugs.   
"Can we see them?"  
"They're getting her cleaned up. In a few minutes, you'll be able to see her. The baby will be in the nursery."  
"Thanks," Cecilia's dad muttered.  
"We're grandparents!" her mother yelled.  
The Camden family showered each other with hugs, and a nurse finally came and told them it was okay to come and see Cecilia.

"Hey, Cecilia," Annie said quietly, remembering how vulnerable to noise she'd been after giving birth to Matt years ago.  
"Hi," Cecilia rasped.  
"Ugh, you don't sound too good."  
"The delivery was tough. Ash was breach..."  
"Who's Ash?" Martin asked.  
"That's right. We didn't give you all a name yet, did we?"  
The family shook their heads.  
"Ashlynn Nicole Camden."  
Annie's eyes teared up more. "It's beautiful."  
"Anyway, Ash was breach, so Cecilia had to push harder. They ended up having to almost force the baby out, Cecilia was so exhausted. Her contractions were on top of each other all morning."  
Lucy pressed her lips together. "You haven't experienced pain until you have to give birth in a crowded elevator with your brother delivering your daughter."  
Cecilia gave a light laugh. "I don't know...this was pretty bad."   
"You can go see her in the nursery, if y'all want," Simon said.  
"What's gotten into you?"  
"Whaddaya mean?" Simon asked.  
"You just said y'all, Simon," Ruthie pointed out.  
"Dr. Bernstein's from Texas, guess it slipped," Simon said with a laugh.

After the family had gone and seen the newborn Ashlynn Nicole, they walked back towards the waiting room, allowing Simon and Cecilia some time alone.  
"Wait a minute, this is your anniversary, isn't it?" Kevin asked, addressing Martin and Ruthie.  
"It is," Martin answered, putting his arm around Ruthie's waist.  
"One year. Look at you two, all grown up."  
"Shut up, Matt," Martin said, laughing.


End file.
